


Ambiguously Pursue

by Jamilton



Category: Hamilton - Miranda, Hamilton - Miranda (Broadway Cast) RPF
Genre: Angst, Bad Matchmaking, Bets & Wagers, Couch Cuddles, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dens, Domestic Fluff, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, For all the asexuals out there, Here's a romance that isn't based on 'o shit he's hot', Holding Hands, Humor, I do like me some dens, Light Angst, M/M, Matchmaking, Partners in Crime, Scary Movies, Sleeping Together, Slow Burn, Teaming up to make their friends suffer, Teamwork, Umbrellas, fuck yeah, literally sleeping together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-03-26 13:28:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 32,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19006747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jamilton/pseuds/Jamilton
Summary: "They put bets on us, Hamilton." Jefferson eventually stated, leaning forwards slightly and glancing around Alex's office as though he was sharing confidential details. "They're convinced we're going to start dating, and I want to win."





	1. (Insert Witty One Liner/P!ATD Reference)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Soomanyfandomswhy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soomanyfandomswhy/gifts).



> @soomanyfandoms: I'm an attention hog and you help boost my fragile ego quite well - seriously, I appreciate all your comments, I'm just not good at replying to them. If you don't want this gifted, just inform me and I'll cancel
> 
> To my other consistent commenters - you're heckin next, watch ur back owo
> 
> Like unless someone doesn't want me gifting a fic to them. Consent is important.

By the time Alex had finally arrived at work, the entire goddamn Friday had already gone to shit and there was no point in pretending otherwise. His water - despite being fully paid for and well maintained - decided to shut off any heat and give him the startle of a lifetime mid-shower. Not only that, but roughly an hour later he was barely able to refrain from beating the living shit out of his coffee machine, which finally decided that it would persue and succeed the life-long dream of becoming a major disappointment.

There was also the issue that he was nursing a minor burn against his right hand, since his phone charger had overheated three days before and Alex found this out the hard way. John had laughed at him for two minutes straight when he recoiled in horror, and Alex didn't even have the mild joy of making John suffer with him through coffee deprivation, because the damn heathen drinked _tea_.

All in all, he was running on spite and a vicious hatred of the way life enjoyed making him suffer. There were probably better ways in dealing with his anger, but currently he was far too tired to give a damn. His only sufferance was that people were able to read his expression and know him well enough to give Alex some space. There were probably better ways to occupy himself during the day, but since he had already finished and proof-read the work due in three days, he gloomily browsed new coffee machines online.

Seriously, who the _fuck_ had enough money to just buy a kitchen utensil the moment it broke? He wasn't particularly looking forward to returning to instant coffee, either. Alex was quite content to sit still and bitterly stew in his frustration.

After being personally offended by a particularly extortionate cost, he shut his laptop with probably more force than intended. Barely three hours had passed since the start of the day and he was already done. With some attempt to assuage the exasperated boredom, he huffed, opening his laptop again and retrieving his final draft.

He didn't jump when his door sharply opened, with no warning whatsoever, but he did quickly glance up, forgetting how agitated he was for a second before noting that his visitor was, unfortunately, not welcomed.

"Nobody said you could come in here." Alex intoned, leaning back so he could cross his arms and fix Jefferson a sharp glare, because of course the one person in the entire goddamn office to blatantly ignore social cues decided it was appropriate to bother him. "In fact, nobody said you could even look at me, so I guess you'll take your leave."

"No." Jefferson replied simply, flashing a smile that Alex did not buy for one second. After five years of suffering with Jefferson's unbearable bullshit, Alex liked to think he was adapt at reading his expressions, and he had seen that particular smile more than once.

"What are you after?" Alex asked, sounding vaguely resigned. Jefferson, sensing that Alex wasn't buying his attempt at companionship, let the smile drop. Then, completely uninvited, he pulled out the chair facing Alex's desk, not remotely uncomfortable at the fact that Alex was obviously adverse to his company.

"I have a proposition." Jefferson stated, paused, regarded Alex carefully. Alex remained quiet, watching him in turn, until Jefferson tersely elaborated, "It involves bets and how everyone around me is an asshole except James."

Alex was only mildly impressed that Jefferson was able to abstain from insulting him and all of his friends for over a minute. He thinned his lips, adopting an exasperated tone, "I expected nothing from you, and yet I am still disappointed."

"They put bets on us, Hamilton." Jefferson eventually stated, leaning forwards slightly and glancing around Alex's office as though he was sharing confidential details. "They're convinced we're going to start dating, and I want to win."

Alex had no idea who ' _they_ ' were, but knowing his friends and the majority of the workplace - he wasn't exactly optimistic. Regardless, the fact that they were co-ordinated enough to start wagers on when (not _if,_ even though it would obviously _never_ happen) he would start dating his sworn enemy. Rather flatly, "You're kidding."

"By James's account, there's just under a thousand dollars." Jefferson informed him, a grimace finally settling across his features, showing his first actual emotion of the entire conversation. "I don't want our terrible colleagues to get their money back when they find out we aren't going to date - ever."

Alex opted to step past the righteous indignation at being dismissed so openly because he would be a great boyfriend. Regardless, he could acknowledge that this wasn't the point, and filed away a more unsavoury insult for later use. "So...?"

Jefferson seemed rather smug at this. He tapped his fingers against Alex's desk - which pissed Alex off, they both knew that irritated Alex - and flashed a trademark smirk. "I make James put down a bet. We make that bet come true, divide the money in thirds, and then we _'break up_ '."

"Nobody will buy it." Alex pointed out.

"They will." Jefferson contridicted, frowning. Then, as an obvious bait, Jefferson sighed and gingerly added, "Unless your acting skills are shit."

Alex was an adult, he could tell when someone was trying to provoke a reaction out of him. Though, being able to notice something and responding in a mature, levelled way, he scowled. "Don't be a dick, I'm an exceptional actor."

"Then prove it." Jefferson immediately retorted, quickly enough that it was evident he had planned this part of the conversation out. "Will you?"

Alex scoffed, an immediate rejection resting on the forefront his mind but something stopped him from allowing it to spill. It was a stupid idea, and nobody would believe it. It would be difficult enough trying to trick people who had so much as heard of their rivalry, let alone his close friends.

Then, Alex thought of his depressingly broken coffee machine, the fact that his phone charger seemed likely to combust at any second, and how insulting it was for people to make unfounded assumptions about him. It would be entertaining, if a little morally ambiguous. "Won't they suspect that we're using James's bet?"

"The fact that the vast amount of our supposed friends are placing bets means that it is likely one of them will win." Jefferson reasoned dryly. Then, as though Alex needed further prompting, he added, "Laurens is part of this, too."

"What?" Alex asked sharply.

"So, no. They won't _suspect_ anything." Jefferson replied, rolling his eyes, acting like Alex was acting purposely ignorant. Alex paused, wondering how the hell he was supposed to respond to that. Jefferson seemed to feel patient enough to step back and allow Alex to give some thought behind his answer.

Alex's brows furrowed, and, almost suspiciously, he said, "You said it's under a _thousand_ dollars."

"Hamilton, do you want to know how long this bet has been going on?" Suddenly, Jefferson's tone of voice was harsh and clipped, seemingly physically pained by the entire situation. "Three years. Three goddamn years, and legitimately _everyone_ knew about it except us."

"Even Burr?" Alex questioned.

Grimly. "Especially Burr."

"Damn it, I'm in." Alex glared at the ceiling. Jefferson smirked, pleased with himself, and Alex fixed him a fierce glower. "Not because I want to _help_ you. They don't deserve to be rewarded for acting like traitors, that's all."

"Good, because I already told James to place his bets." Jefferson replied, briskly standing up.

Alex stood up with him, placing his palms flat against the desk and frowning. "You do realise that I could've refused your offer - and that I could _still_ refuse to play along."

"You might dislike me, but you have a point to prove." Jefferson replied, shrugging his shoulders. Alex paused, then briefly conceded that Jefferson had accurately summed up one of the reasons he agreed. "We'll need to sort out details. By James's bet, we need to convince the rest of the office in two months."

"Two months." Alex repeated lightly. "That's... a lot of time."

"It's enough time to get our stories straight." Jefferson explained slowly, as though he was talking to a small child. Alex thinned his lips. Jefferson, because he didn't know how the hell to leave things be. "Besides, _I'm_ not the type to immediately dive into relationships. It takes time."

"I don't ' _immediately dive into'_ relationships." Alex snapped, before belatedly remembering that his current best friends had known him for under a day before they briskly decided it was them against the world.

Jefferson looked at him. "We both know that's a lie."

Alex huffed, struggling for an articulate retort but failing painfully. Jefferson, sensing his victory, raised an eyebrow. It seemed that he had decided the conversation was over, and opted to leave Alex's office. Though, Alex was certainly not allowing Jefferson to have the last word.

He hurried to the door, opening it sharply, and called after Jefferson's retreating back, "Yeah, well, you're stupid."

Alex was too far away to hear Jefferson sigh, but he could see the slow rise and fall of his shoulders, and Alex took this as a win. Burr pushed open the door to his office and fixed Alex a concerned expression. "Alexander, be the bigger person."

Alex blinked, offended and slightly bewlidered as to how Burr was able to overhear conflict several meters down. He gestured defensively to Jefferson. "I'm five foot four and bitter, _he_ can be the bigger person!"

"I already am." Jefferson called from over his shoulder. Alex merely flipped him off in response, turning back and returning to his office.

As soon as Jefferson brought the fact that the entire goddamn office was placing bets on his and Alex's love life ( _or distinct lack thereof_ ), Alex was beginning to pick up on signals and signs indicating that people were watching his interactions with Jefferson.

For one, all of Lafayette's insinuations were starting to gain a triple meaning, and worse yet - Alex still needed a second to realise exactly what was implied. He couldn't even act offended, since he wasn't supposed to know about the bet.

By midday, Alex was becoming slightly impatient, and the reminder that the most important item in his life had broken down was now his key thought. Maybe this made him boring, but by imagining various funeral songs for his coffee machine was enough entertainment to get himself through yet another suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

" _How_ did I not notice this before?" Alex demanded. He had thrown the door to Jefferson's office open with an admittedly exaggerated display of theatrics, and was now pacing up and down his office. "Tell me, Jefferson, _why_ couldn't I pick up on the fact that Lafayette is insisting we're an old married couple?"

"You have the emotional capacity of a brick wall." Jefferson helpfully supplied. This, granted, was the response Alex expected but not one he was particularly after. "Look, I'm as happy about this as you are. If we want our friends to suffer, we need to make it _convincing_."

"I'm not directly lying to my friends." Alex said.

"That makes one of us." Jefferson shrugged, uncaring, leaning back on his desk and flicking his pen nimbly across his fingers before catching it with his other hand and repeating. Alex wanted to slap the stupid thing out of his hands. "Dishonesty is part of the fun."

"You're a sociopath." Alex decided. Jefferson rolled his eyes, continuing to do the dumb pen flick thing that Alex couldn't fucking work out, despite watching his movements with a close precision. "I'm going to end up fake dating a sociopath. Hercules raised me better."

"I wouldn't lie to James, but since he's with our plan..." Jefferson trailed off, sounding like he was in thought, but Alex knew better. As usual, Jefferson was able to provoke Alex without focusing the slightest bit of effort.

"What about Lafayette? Don't you want to be a decent human for once in your life?" Alex pressed, trying to get back at him even if this was a particularly weak comment. To some degree, it worked, and Jefferson's jaw twitched.

"Keep arguing with me, Hamilton." Jefferson replied, sounding vaguely bored but his tone contridicted the sharpness of Jefferson's stare. "I'm not going to suddenly have a moral crisis. Besides, if we return to the subject at hand..."

"Right." Alex agreed, grudging, crossing his arms with far more petulance than intended. Jefferson appeared to be seconds away from calling him out, but stopped himself, glancing away with a sharp twitch of his jaw. "How do we start? Oh, and why isn't Madison here?"

"James isn't here because he wants to - and I quote - ' _stay out of this weird ass fake courting ritual_.'" Jefferson stated dryly, lips giving a wry twitch when he began to repeat Madison's words. "As for where we start, I have no idea. The fact that our co-workers have believed this for three years is a distraction."

"Lafayette spreads rumors, and fast." Alex offered. "If I say something-"

"No, we'd have to pretend to try and keep this a secret." Jefferson sighed, and returned to his stupid, grudgingly elegant pen trick. "Why the hell is this so complicated?"

"Stop it." Alex snapped.

Jefferson raised an eyebrow. "Stop what?"

"You know what." Alex muttered. He glared pointedly at Jefferson's hand, but when Jefferson's flat expression continued, he gestured, still scowling. "That stupid pen thing."

"What, this?" Jefferson asked innocently, and repeated the exact thing that was blatantly pissing Alex off. "I'm sorry, Alexander, but I enjoy occupying myself as much as possible."

Alex flipped him off in response, but remained silent. He had agreed to this plan and was going to stick with it, regardless of what would probably go wrong. All that he had to do now was work out how to get Lafayette to notice that their dynamics had shifted and sit back whilst an alarmingly gossip orientated group of office workers whispered back and forth.

"We need to get this right." Jefferson mused. "One slip-up, and we reveal our hand."

"You're overestimating their critical thinking." Alex argued.

"You're underestimating Lafayette's horrifyingly accurate intuition." Jefferson retorted, placing his pen down and staring at something to the left in obvious concentration. "The moment he suspects something, he will be horrifyingly relentless. He _will_ hunt down you or James, and one of you _will_ end up confessing."

"We have two months." Alex stated firmly. "That'll be long enough to form, execute, and proceed to pretend that this entire plan never happened."

"Agreed. We will never speak of this again." Jefferson said. "I mean it. _Never_."

"Right." Alex confirmed. He gave the ridiculous pen one last glare before heading to the door, turning once to state, "I'm going to think of a genius plan that will earn one thousand dollars and you can just sit there, muttering about whatever evil schemes you have."

"Whatever." Jefferson replied, sonding uncaring. "Don't let my door hit you on the way out."

 

 

**

 

 

There were probably better ways to spend his time. Alex could be developing his social life, or trying to learn a different language, but instead, he was at home, doing _this_. There was the slight sliver of fortune at having the weekends immediately after he agreed to this insipid plot. At least he was able to have an existential crisis in the relative privacy of his own home.

John didn't react to Alex dramatically flopping onto the floor, trying not to wince against how uncomfortable the carpet was, and grumbling under his breath about things that didn't even make sense.

"It's finally Saturday, and you know what that means." John announced to the world at large, cutting across Alex's complaining. Alex huffed, rolling onto his back just in time to see the cushion hit him. At some point, Alex vowed there would be physical repercussions for the betrayal that had just transpired. "What movie should we watch?"

Alex turned the cushion over in his hands in a contemplative motion. "I don't know, Lord of The Rings?"

John frowned. "No."

Alex exhaled loudly, because John was like this every goddamn week, and Lafayette was worse. It seemed that he and Hercules were the only two people capable of making a decision. "What do you want to watch?"

Predictably, John said, "I don't mind."

"Harry Potter?" Alex offered. Surprisingly, there was a pause as John actually thought through his answer instead of an immediate rejection. Alex added, "We watched the fourth one four weeks ago, so we're up to The Order of the Phoenix."

"Too much death, I'll pass."

"The Hobbit." Alex said.

"No."

"Fight Club."

"No."

"Some stupid ass romcom."

"Dude, you know we can only watch those on a Sunday." John sounded incredulous and mildly indignant. Alex snorted at the offence, blindly throwing the cushion and willing it to hit John. "That was just uncalled for. I'm not going to break tradition."

"You sure have a lot of opinions for someone who doesn't mind." Alex quipped. In response, the cushion was thrown back at Alex, hitting him firmly in the chest. Alex rolled his eyes, deciding to be the mature person. "What's Lafayette thinking?"

"Herc says they'll be a while, since they're arguing over what popcorn to get." John lamented, and Alex groaned. Last time Hercules and Lafayette were allowed to pick up snacks together, they had taken a full two hours to arrive, primarily due to Lafayette's weird ass conviction against mixing flavors. "I told them to just get both."

"Oh, good idea." Alex hummed in approval. "Let me guess, Hercules acted as though you asked him to take the entire store home with him?"

"' _Jonathan Laurens, I did not raise you to be wastefully frivolous'_." John mimicked Hercules's voice, promptly missing the mark by many miles. Alex glanced up at John expectantly, who shrugged. "They said they'll be about ten minutes."

Alex made a dubious noise; if there was just Hercules, then he would trust his estimation. However, Lafayette was a world renowned procrastinator and there was no way in hell they would arrive at a normal time. Instead of being proven correct, the door to their apartment knocked after three minutes of Alex detailing how much agony he was in.

Alex narrowed his eyes at John, sitting up and glowering. "You said they'd be ten minutes. You're a goddamn liar."

"Fuck off." John cheerfully instructed him. Then, in a louder voice, he called, "The door's open, and we're both too lazy to greet you."

"You didn't even check, they could be serial killers." Alex said.

Alex could hear Hercules mumbling in response, then the sound of several bags being placed down. He settled back down, resting against the carpet again as Hercules and Lafayette entered. Lafayette announced, "We come bearing gifts, and Alexander, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm dying." Alex decided pragmatically. Hercules snorted, obviously sceptical at the authenticity of Alex's solemnity. He added, "This is my deathbed. Do you want know how I'm going to die?"

"At the hands of your roommate?" John helpfully offered. Alex glared at the ceiling.

"No, through an accident." Alex corrected dryly, throwing up his cushion and catching it. He watched Lafayette and Hercules shuffle awkwardly to the kitchenette, balancing three bags - two more than actually needed. Judging by the tightness in Hercules's shoulders, he made good on his threat to buy half the shop.

"That's what I'll make it look like." John agreed, helping Lafayette unpack and freezing with a bemused expression when he picked up a single egg. "How the hell did this not crack?"

"No idea." Hercules shrugged. "Alex, you going to help?"

Alex ignored the question but used the sudden attention drawn on him to muse, "I wonder, what will my final words be?"

"We can find out, if you want." John offered.

Hercules huffed. He stopped sorting out the bags by walking over to where Alex was slumped and nudged him with his foot. Alex scowled, swatting at Hercules's leg and missing. "You're acting like an idiot and you'll hurt your back."

"Don't speak ill of the dead, mon cher." Lafayette interrupted wryly. "It's rude."

"I want a Shakespeare quote on my gravestone." Alex added seriously. He rolled onto his stomach to defend Hercules from nudging him there even more, keeping his eyes on the floor. "I was a good man."

"Oh my god." Hercules scoffed at the use of past tense. "Up. We bought chocolate spread and tortillas. I don't want to look at you whilst you eat."

Alex stood up, grimacing at how his knees protested. He collected the stated items, hugging them protectively to his chest. "This is the best combination that has ever been discovered."

"Why are you encouraging him?" John asked sharply, scrunching his face up in distaste. He gestured empathetically at Alex. "Herc, it's a crime against humanity. You shouldn't of bought this."

"He's right." Lafayette was quick to agree, tapping Hercules's arm importantly. "Alexander, mon ami, I love you, but sometimes you disgust me."

"You're just jealous." Alex snipped, placing his stash on the loveseat and opting to rummage around the box of movies. "What do you want to watch?"

"Oh, amour, we talked about this on the way here!" Lafayette grinned, nudging Hercules, who glanced up from where he was frowning at the entire bag of food. "Have you got Mulan?"

"Have I got Mulan?" Alex repeated. " _Have I got Mulan_? You're kidding. Of course I do, I'm not a barbarian."

"Tell me you're not stealing my place again." John narrowed his eyes, staring at the exact place where his food was deposited. There was a pause, in which Alex merely looked at him. "It is my place. I bought that, I have a _right_."

"I was faster." Alex retorted. "I won."

"Laf, our children are arguing again." Hercules observed, exchanging significant looks with his boyfriend. Lafayette shook his head in disapproval, but when Alex refused to budge, Hercules sighed. "Sit with us, John. We'll keep the snacks here and if the chair hog wants some, he'll have to get up and ask politely."

"Hey!" Alex objected at the same time John said, "Sucks to be you, chair hog!"

"We raised some idiots." Lafayette groused. "Idiots, Herc."

After some shuffling and choice words, Alex was able to set up the movie with minimal shouting. Unfortunately, he had to accept the help from Hercules and two tutorials before the movie was up and running. Alex gave a mock bow. "You're welcome."

There was a wave of sarcastic clapping and cheers. With a decent amount of drama, Alex pressed play. John flicked his hand, attempting to gain Alex's attention from where he was pushed against the corner. "Pass?I want to adjust the settings."

"Oh my God, no." Alex slipped the controls under the cushions. "You're never touching the settings again."

John proceeded to sulk for the first ten minutes, periodically pausing his efforts in pretending that Alex didn't exist to give baleful glares. Though, by the first main song, he was able to overcome the sudden animosity and shriek-sing and probably alarm all of his neighbours.

By the halfway mark, Lafayette winced, glancing down at his watch before standing. "I need my coffee. It is when I reach my full potential, non?"

"What?" Alex asked, sitting up, glancing between Hercules and Lafayette with a frown. "Why can't you go later?"

"That's not how it works, Alexander." Lafayette insisted. He pointed at his watch, then looked at Alex expectantly. "It is one in the afternoon and the croissants will have _just_ come out of the oven. Tell him, amour!"

Hercules shrugged. "He reaches his full potential, man. I don't know how to make it any clearer."

Alex exchanged confused looks with John, who gave a hapless shrug. "Have fun with your deranged coffee ritual, then." Alex said, still frowning. "Oh, and pass me the skittles."

The packet was thrown at him, but bounced back against the arm of the seat and landed just out of arm's reach. Alex sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperated vexation. Lafayette gave a mock salute, leaving the apartment.

"Seriously, for someone so ' _go with the flow_ ', he has an extremely weird schedule." John pointed out. "I'd be alarmed if it wasn't so impressive, to be that predictable."

Alex hummed in noncommittal agreement, returning his attention to the screen. He couldn't particularly criticize Lafayette and his life habits, since he had an equally linear life style.

Then, something clicked.

Alex tried to lace some faux disinterest into his voice as he asked, "Herc, does Lafayette do this every day?"

"Yep." Hercules confirmed. "They have a special named after him."

"Which he always talks about." John agreed, making a face. " _The Gilbert Experience_. It sounds like a shitty steam train."

Alex made a noise of vague agreement, pulling out his phone and trying to locate where the fuck sells products with Lafayette's namesake. As it turns out, quite a lot. He was able to narrow the results down by adding that it was a coffee shop of some sorts, and reduced the search to a five mile radius.

After twenty minutes of consistent searching and reaching to the fourth page in online results, Alex was finally able to locate _The Blue Coats_. Granted, he had missed most of the movie, but it meant that his plan had advanced and Jefferson better be fucking grateful.

 

 

**

 

 

It took Jefferson less than an hour to reply, and his response was a jumble of swear words and the insistence that Alex was the antichrist, but overall, it seemed like a reluctant agreement. So, at quater to one - fifteen minutes before Lafayette was due to appear - Alex hastened to arrive, surprisingly after Jefferson.

"I know, I know, I'm a genius." Alex threw his hands up in faux modesty as he approached the table Jefferson had chosen (directly in front of the door, Lafayette would have to be _blind_ not to notice). "You can thank me later, since we have a plan to make."

"Calm down, Hamilton. Lafayette hasn't even arrived yet." Jefferson replied, seeming slightly disgruntled at having to meet a colleague that wasn't James Madison outside of work.

"He will." Alex stated confidently.

"Until then, we wait in silence." Jefferson said, voice not warranting any room for argument. Alex paused, leaning back and crossing his arms. It seemed melodramatic, to refuse to even attempt to engage in civil conversation.

Alex tapped his feet against the floor. There was something unnerving about not being able to say anything, and he wasn't breaking the awkward silence since Jefferson initiated it. The issue was that he didn't seem bothered at how tense and uncomfortable Alex was.

He glanced around the area, admiring the decoration and contrasting color scheme before tiring and returning his attention to the table. As expected, Jefferson still seemed uninterested, frowning down at his phone.

"So." Alex began, testing the word. Jefferson merely raised an eyebrow, not glancing up from his phone. "It's a Sunday."

"I _really_ don't care." Jefferson said.

Alex sighed. "Great."

Alex was sure that he was dying from boredom. All he could do to occupy himself was try and provoke a reaction from Jefferson by being as annoying as possible. For a split second, Alex wondered if he had finally succeeded when Jefferson placed his phone down.

Instead, however, Jefferson muttered, "Lafayette's here."

"So, he's seen us and is trying to spy." Alex said. At Jefferson's terse nod, Alex leant back, acutely aware of Lafayette staring at his back, but wasn't able to turn around and do something about the attention. "What now?"

"We pretend to talk." Jefferson shrugged.

Alex frowned. "We... are talking?"

"Shut up, you know what I meant." Jefferson snapped, appearing rather vexed at having the obvious pointed out to him. Alex grinned, pleased at finally causing an adverse response. Jefferson sighed, eyes briefly flicking to Lafayette before immediately glancing down

Alex recognized the action and grimaced. "He's taking a picture, isn't he?"

"Of course he is." Jefferson muttered, looking as though the whole affair was rather distasteful, and he'd rather be anywhere else. Alex supposed that this wasn't the expression Jefferson would wear on an actual date.

"Scared the camera will steal part of your soul?" Alex asked, feigning blithe curiosity. 

Jefferson gave him a deadpan look. "What are you talking about? I have no soul."

This startled a small laugh out of Alex, primarily due to the remark being from an unexpected source. He quickly caught himself, biting the inside of his cheek, but Jefferson suddenly seemed to have a genuine interest in the conversation now, looking very bewildered.

Alex scowled, crossing his arms ovee his chest and averting eye contact to glare at a part of their table. Jefferson, who had recently discovered Alex's dislike of sitting in complete silence, didn't bring it up, continuing to watch Alex with a calculating look.

Eventually, Alex decided he would risk discovery by turning around to see if Lafayette was still there. His shoulders slumped in relief. "Thank fuck, he's gone. We should leave together in about fifteen minutes, since he has a very slow walking pace and it would be suspicious if we left immediately after him."

"I agree." Jefferson said.

Then, the awkward silence fell from beforehand and Alex felt his will to live shrivel up into a tiny ball and waste away. He resumed his attempt at providing a distraction for himself, looking around the cafe and trying to observe new things, but eventually tired of that and glanced at Jefferson.

"You know, if you keep glaring at me, I'm not actually going to combust." Alex offered. Then, for good measure, he added, "Trust me, I know from experience."

"Hamilton, shut up." Jefferson replied, sounding deeply pained, and Alex took this as a partial victory.

"Nope." Alex said. "How are things?"

Jefferson grimaced. "I would rather attack a bee hive with a golf club than make small talk with you."

"You're too sweet." Alex replied in an overly saccharine voice, grinning at the deeply unimpressed raise of an eyebrow. "I don't do silence."

"Well, I do."

Alex paused. "How do I respond to that?"

"You don't."

Alex sighed. He tapped a fast paced rhythm against the table, wondering how the hell Jefferson could just sit there and do nothing. Knowing Jefferson, he would see hothing wrong with it. Alex sighed again. "I know literally nothing about you."

Jefferson still seemed unbothered. "Good."

"I don't even know what you look like." Alex lamented, shaking his head with world weary disappointment.

There was a slight twitch to Jefferson's jaw, one likely due to anger or frustration at Alex's melodrama. "Now you're being dramatic."

"What is your name?" Alex asked, putting as much earnestness in his voice as possible.

Jefferson's resolve finally broke and he tried and failed to bite back a - smile? Alex blinked, trying to put one and one together because none of it made sense until Alex realized that Jefferson thought Alex's display of theatrics was vaguely amusing.

"I don't have a name." Jefferson responded neutrally. "Nobody knows who I am, even myself."

"They call you _the Wanderer_." Alex added, quickly warming to the subject and the fact that Jefferson finally seemed engaged enough to reply. "You weren't hired, you just walked in one day and started working."

"I thought that was how you got your job." Jefferson frowned. "By the time people realised you weren't supposed to be here, it was too late."

"Yes." Alex confirmed. "That's exactly what happened. Though, I don't have a kick-ass nickname."

"Unfortunately, most people can't be as cool as I am." Jefferson allowed, giving a one shouldered shrug in a false display of modesty. Then, Alex was given a condescending smile. "I'm sure you try your best. Though, I think Lafayette is gone."

Alex nodded in agreement. "What do we do after this?"

"I'll have to find out where Lafayette thinks we are, and build on it." Jefferson answered despite the fact that they both knew that Lafayette could be incredibly subtle when he wanted. "Madison's going to help, of course. We'll discuss this in the office. The more people that see, the better."

This was an obvious dismissal. Alex gave a fake salute and a surprisingly kind, "Don't get hit by a car, but if you do, make sure you remember the licence plate.

By the time Monday rolled by, Alex was feeling strangely optimistic. Lafayette hadn't messaged him, which was unexpected, but Alex supposed that Lafayette would believe that if he said something wrong or implied a bit too heavily, Alex could be deterred.

This slightly wounded his pride - if Alex knew that there was something he wanted, he wouldn't be scared off of something so easily - but the anticipation of watching Lafayette desperately try and get details whilst simultaneously try to hide the fact that he thought he knew what was going on.

Lafayette was waiting inside his office despite the fact that Alex was  _sure_  he had left it locked, sitting on his desk and watching the door, apparently searching for Alex. Hercules and John were with him, though John stood and Hercules had brought the swivel chair from his office with him, obviously intending on staying for over an hour.

Overall, it looked like a surprise intervention.

"If this is about my caffeine addiction..." Alex trailed off, glancing between the three. Hercules and Lafayette exchanged looks, causing John to roll his eyes and sigh.

"No, we just went in for a visit." Hercules stated, surprisingly genuine. At Lafayette's sharp, fleeting look - one that Alex was certain he would miss unless he was looking for it - Hercules amended, "At least, I did."

Alex knew he had to strike the balance between vaguely guilty and innocent. Lafayette was intently watching Alex's expression, but he evidently saw something that made the corners of his lips quirk up into a tiny, knowing smile. Alex cleared his throat, not even having to fake being uncomfortable. "Why? Are you two after stationary?"

"No." John frowned, at the same time Lafayette decided, "Yes."

In response, Alex threw a cheap pen at Lafayette, who caught it with one hand. John glanced imploringly at Lafayette - one that Alex would have to be blind to miss - and Lafayette inclined his head once, disguising the action as attempting to get a better look at his newly procured pen.

"I wish Herc and I would be able to go on a double date." Lafayette mused, giving such a convincing act of making the topic sound casual. "It would be fun, non?"

"You could go with Burr and his wife." Alex offered, ducking the bait on purpose just to see the flash of irritation flick across Lafayette's face. "Or Maria and Eliza. Oh, I think Angelica is seeing a new man-"

"John Church." Hercules cut in.

Alex gestured at Hercules, allowing the addition to strengthen his point. "-so you could go with them."

This time, Lafayette hummed, tilting his head just barely to the left, towards John. This caused John to widen his eyes in understanding. There was a moment in which Alex realised he would not have caught what Lafayette's gesture had meant unless John gave it away with his reaction.

"Have you done anything interesting over the weekends?" John asked, trying to sound casual. Then, he gave Lafayette a rather blatant thumbs up that caused Lafayette to wince.

"No, nothing I can think of." Alex frowned. "Why?"

"Um." John began articulately.

Before he had the chance to fumble with an explanation, the office door was sharply opened, causing John to startle and grimace. Hercules frowned, spinning slightly in his chair before his eyes went wide and he tried to hide his bright grin.

"Thomas." Lafayette greeted evenly, as though he wasn't currently making a million assumptions. "Good morning."

"Lafayette." Jefferson offered a slight smile before glancing at Alex and smirking. There was a certain lilt to his accent, one that implied he was enjoying making everyone (Lafayette in particular) suffer  _greatly_. "Hamilton, a word?"

Alex sighed loudly. Judging by Lafayette's resolute expression, Alex would decisively not be allowed to stay in the office. He exchanged exasperated looks with John - who seemed entirely too delighted to be remotely convincing, before sighing again. "I suppose I can grace you with my presence."

"Oh, how magnanimous." Jefferson mocked. "Have you thought about charity work?"

"Never." Alex replied. He made sure all of his movements were exaggerated and overly dramatic, though it appeared nobody was believing it. Jefferson flashed a quick smile before closing the door, blocking them from view.

"That was good timing." Alex muttered, keeping his voice lowered. Jefferson seemed rather pleased with himself, smirking at the praise, as grudgingly as it was given. "They have the subtlety of a brick wall. Let's listen."

"Well then." Hercules said loudly.

Someone clapped their hands, and judging by the person who spoke immediately after it, Lafayette was the aspiring percussionist. "They were  _seconds_  away from making out that time, I swear!" 

Alex exchanged doubtful looks with Jefferson.

"No, I'm seven months out. They can't be this emotionally apt." John protested, likely to be scowling. Then, because talking behind Alex's back wasn't enough, he added, "Well, I think Jefferson can, but Alex...?"

Alex gasped, offended, but was unfortunately not distracted enough to hear Hercules's agreement of, "I have my doubts."

"They are  _such_  dicks." Alex hissed, gesturing at the door, turning to face Jefferson as though he was about to show some kind of support to Alex. "I have let them into my home and they  _scorn_  me."

Jefferson seemed to think the entire fucking situation was hysterical. "They're not wrong."

"They weren't  _that_  close." Lafayette mournfully said. There was a loud, probably dramatized sigh, and Lafayette continued, "I mean, it was  _obviously_  a date, but  _no_  hand holding..."

Hercules was quick to comfort them. "I know, I saw the pictures. It was a nice catch, Laf, but let them get to know eachother."

"They've known eachother for years!" Lafayette quite petuantly protested. " _Mon dieu_ , I just want my gay sons to be happy!"

"Insufferable." Alex muttered, shaking his head. "We should let them suffer for a while longer."

Jefferson shrugged, probably resigning himself to several awkward minutes of silence. Though, unexpectedly, Jefferson asked, "What will you do with your share?"

"New coffee machine." Alex immediately answered. "You?"

"I'm planning on buying a shit tonne of food. It seems like a good idea." Jefferson shrugged.

Alex glanced sharply at him. "Oh shit, that  _is_  a good idea."

"Of course it is, I came up with it." Jefferson easily agreed, leaning back against the wall. He paused, brows furrowing slightly. It seemed ad though he wasn't particularly interested in elaborating, but he did add, "James is way too fucking excited to buy a new wheelbarrow."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Did you tell him it was a stupid idea?"

Jefferson scoffed. "Of course not, he's my best friend."

There was a few seconds of pause. Alex looked at him blankly, before crossing his arms. "So?"

"How do you have any friends?" Jefferson asked, though he sounded at least mildly amused, so Alex supposed it wasn't a personal attack.

Alex grinned. "Bribery and devilish good looks."

"You're poor and have no fashion sense whatsoever." Jefferson contridicted, giving him a sharp once-over with a frown. Alex blinked, taken aback, before he was able to find his recovery.

"Bribery is the reason I'm poor."

Jefferson shrugged, unbothered by how defensive Alex sounded. Then, he glanced at Alex's door. "Speaking of your friends..."

"I know, I'll go back before they have heart attacks." As it was, both John and Hercules were trying to persuade Lafayette to leave them alone, despite Lafayette insisting that he wanted further proof. Alex couldn't stop the smile from forming, albeit reluctantly. "My friends are fucking weird."

"You'll find no argument here." Jefferson took a half-step back from the door, raising his palms as though warding off an attack. "Go, be free, join your people."

"Try not to miss me too much." Alex replied, not even bothering to act offended when Jefferson's expression quite clearly stated he wouldn't. Then, with a forced neutral expression, Alex opened the door to his office, and tried not to grin at how abruptly the lull of conversion between Lafayette, Hercules and John was cut off. "Talk about much when I was gone?"

"No." Lafayette and John said in rapid unison.

Hercules just sighed.

 

 

**

 

 

By the one week mark, Alex was being given speculative looks by anyone who crossed his path. After the first attempted confrontation Lafayette had failed to initiate, his friends seemed rather grudgingly content to leave things be and trust that Alex would tell them later.

Some people ( _Burr, Eliza_ ) took Hercules's approach and completely avoided mentioning Alex's supposed relationship with Jefferson. Alex valued this far more than the other attempts to find out what was going on.

There was a certain joy to be had when being able to control what was being spoken about across the entirity of the office, but by what must have been the nineteenth eyebrow wiggle from Peggy and awkward grimace-nod from Samuel Seabury, Alex was so fucking done.

Madison raised his coffee mug in semi acknowledgement, mildly sympathetic, but made no move to strike a conversation between them, and consequently, Alex decided against perusing a temporary companionship with him.

Though, not being able to talk about  _The Plan_  - and not being able to maintain a normal conversation with someone else without interruption from other co-workers - was beginning to agitate him. His only other option for company was Jefferson, and he wasn't particularly fond of the idea to willingly go and hold a friendly conversation with him if it didn't directly help what was going on.

Eventually, though, he caved.

At least Jefferson wouldn't see this as 'caving,' since he didn't voice his reluctance to approach. Since they had teamed up (to make everyone else suffer), Alex was able to work out that Jefferson didn't always act like a dick, but he chose to do so most of the time.

Additionally, Jefferson had a sense of humor that was unfortunately similar to Alex's, and this put him in the uncomfortable position of either deciding to dislike what he thought was entertaining, or actually  _agree_  Jefferson on something substantial.

Alex decided to forego knocking, since that would imply that he had some respect for Jefferson as a human, and he didn't. "Hey, asshole."

"Hamilton." Jefferson acknowledged, glancing up once before looking back down. "It's nice to see you've grown some maturity and learnt how to politely enter a room since the last time we saw eachother."

"I've been working on it." Alex shrugged.

"It shows, truly." Jefferson deadpanned. He paused, frowning, before making eye contact with Alex. "Why are you bothering me?"

"I'm  _bored_." Alex expressed. Jefferson, with an affronted air of trepidation, exhaled forcefully, thinning his lips slightly as Alex paced up and down the room, impatient. "I'm beginning to realise how much I hate people."

"You've joined the club a little late." Jefferson replied. "Let me ask again; why are you bothering  _me_?"

"Do you want to know how many times Lee has told me he supports gay people?" Alex asked flatly. Jefferson grimaced, likely recalling the similar experiences he had with Lee. "It's nice to know he's just your regular bastard, not a homophobic one. I don't like how people are suddenly convinced I'm their best friend, and you're the only person who isn't trying to be invasively supportive."

"That's because I don't like you." Jefferson added. "Though, I know what you mean. Laurens is suddenly stating -  _very loudly_  - what would happen if someone were to hurt his friends. James thinks this entire thing is funny and won't talk to me without addressing me as ' _Hamilton's boyfriend_.'"

"Ouch." Alex winced, before realising he sounded empathetic. He quickly amended, "Did James really call me 'Hamilton?'"

Jefferson raised an eyebrow. " _That's_  the detail you focus on?"

"Of course it is." Alex replied. "Besides, as I've said before, I know literally nothing about you, apart from the fact that you like to think you have no name."

" _You_  brought that idea up, not me." Jefferson argued.

"Not important." Alex halted what would have probably been one of the quickest, pettiest arguments to engage in. "I don't actually care about what your favorite color is, but since I'm pretending to date you, I might as well know."

"Take a wild fucking guess." Jefferson said, gesturing to himself - or, more specifically, the hideous shade of magenta that he opted for. Alex grimaced, both at the color and the fact that he probably asked an obvious question. "Though, I know your favorite color is blue."

Jefferson was right, of course, but Alex wasn't entirely sure how the hell he knew. "How'd you work that out?"

"Burr was wearing a navy blazer and you lost your shit." Jefferson answered. Alex grimaced - now that Jefferson brought it up, he could recall the cheerful conversation he insisted on initiating that revolved solely around color schemes. "I suppose this stupid question-asking could have benefits. Anything else you want to know?"

Jefferson didn't mean for that question to sound like a challenge. Though, this was exactly how Alex took it, and he wasn't going to relinquish his hold on a chance to embarrass Jefferson, or learn anything he could use later. So, over the next few days, he was able to discover the answers to things that were trivial and wouldn't serve a later purpose (and Alex wasn't completely sure why he wanted to know these things), to incredibly strange, to consequential and almost philosophical.

He was able to learn that Jefferson was more of a cat person (and that he was very defensive of his position, as the resulting debate unearthed), that he wasn't a morning person (less of a question asked, and more of an accidental discovery), and that he enjoyed terrible romantic movies.

" _The Notebook_  is a timeless classic." Jefferson snapped, causing Alex to scoff.

" _The Notebook_ is cliche, boring-"

"Watch yourself." Jefferson warned.

"-and predictable." Alex finished, unfazed by Jefferson's interjection. Jefferson narrowed his eyes, evidently disagreeing, but before he could fit a decent argument into the coversation, Alex asked, "Greatest fear?"

This, at least, caught Jefferson off-guard. He frowned at Alex, though instead of immediately answering, he remained quiet, deep in thought. "What's yours?"

Alex answered truthfully. "Being forgotten."

Jefferson looked at him sharply, surprised at the honest answer. Alex, suddenly feeling awkward, crossed his arms and glanced at his feet before deciding that he was a grown man and could make eye contact. Jefferson was still regarding him, though there was a certain change to his expression.

Several seconds of deeply uncomfortable silence passed.

"I was going to say spiders, but now that seems superficial." Jefferson offered, which surprisingly caused Alex to laugh. The response was somehow so specifically Jefferson that it warranted amusement. Jefferson seemed pleased that he was able to coax that response.

"Hey, I was very honest with you then." Alex said, though he was smiling.

"As much as I hate people, I don't really like the thought of dying alone." Jefferson shrugged, though his voice carried a covertly forced apathy. It was obvious that being open and truthful with Alex was out of his comfort zone, and Alex was left feeling rather indebted.

"I've never told anyone this, but I have the fear that a duck is always watching me." Alex whispered, trying to keep his expression as serious as possible.

"Thank you for sharing this with me." Jefferson replied, equally solemn.

And, just like that, the awkwardness had subsided into an unexpectedly familiar companionship. As loathe as Alex was to admit it, having to deal with Jefferson's existence wasn't as soul-draining and aggravating as it was before.

When Jefferson wasn't being difficult and needlessly secretive (and, admittedly, when Alex wasn't hostile, abrasive and looking for a fight), his company was tolerable. On occasion, the conversations they had could be fun.

They would be able to debate instead of viciously argue and bring up personal issues or stylistic features. This, in itself, was something Alex marked as both a milestone in his own life and in the recently civil not-quite-friendship-but-alarmingly-close.

The newfound coexistence brought another flurry of rumors and whispers. Most people were convinced that they were dating or on the way to securing a romantic relationship. Others, according to Madison, were insistant that before the betting money could be passed on to the respective winner, there had to be an actual announcement.

Despite the fact that Eliza was  _this_  close to winning, she didn't push the matter with Alex or Jefferson, content to allow things to play out instead of showing too much encouragement.

Her calm standpoint completely contridicted just how curious Lafayette was. As much as Lafayette tried to push it down and allow Alex to continue without a catalyst, he was too damn impatient to wait and allow things to play out.

This became painfully evident when Lafayette visited Jefferson's office, only to find both of them arguing about whether  _Birdemic_  was a national treasure or a disappointment that must be neglected.

"Just the men I wanted to see!" He greeted loudly.

Already, this did not bode well.

"Oh no." Alex said.

Lafayette ignored him. He opened the door slightly wider so that he could see the interior of Jefferson's office more, but he primarily focused on Alex and glancing between him and Jefferson. "So, dearest Alexander, I'm  _very_  glad you're getting along well with Thomas."

"Oh  _no_." Alex repeated.

Lafayette was not perturbed. He grinned brightly, gesturing animatedly as he continued. "So, I thought to myself, 'Gilbert, wouldn't it be fun to invite our mutual friend to movie night?'"

"Movie night?" Jefferson echoed.

"Not one word." Alex cautioned.

"I'm so glad you agree." Lafayette clapped his hands, ignoring how bemused Jefferson looked and how Alex could  _physically feel_  his patience curl into a small ball and wither. "I'll see you then! Alex, share the details, d'accord?"

Then, before Alex could voice how he actually felt about the whole ordeal - and how much of a  _bad idea_  it was - Lafayette gave an unreasonably merry goodbye, turned and left almost impressively fast. 

"Jesus Christ." Jefferson said. He glanced at Alex, reading his expression, then sighed. "I don't know how Lafayette thinks he's being subtle."

"He's a little shit." Alex agreed dryly. "By this point, I think he's given up trying to be covert."

"James told me Lafayette's bet is one week after his." Jefferson added, only solidifying the notion that Lafayette was trying to find something he could use to his advantage.

"He's trying to see if he should push things forwards." Alex sighed. Jefferson gave a grave agreement, moving to push his office door. "Are you up for visiting them? I mean, John is going to be  _harsh_  since he doesn't trust you. And neither of us expected Lafayette to be so damn involved."

Jefferson frowned. "You didn't, I did. Besides, I've dealt with you, Laurens can't be that worse."

Alex knew better, but Jefferson seemed set on going despite Alex's better judgement, so he allowed Jefferson to think what he wanted. With a sense of impending doom, he relayed the usual time and place.

One thing was sure is that Alex did not sign up for this. Though, it would be  _very_  entertaining to see John and Jefferson interact, and Alex knew that he and Lafayette were friends; chances were, sooner or later, Jefferson would be encroaching on a group outing, disregarding the general consensus that Jefferson acted like a dick.

At the same time, inviting someone he barely knew into his (and John's) personal space was wildly out of his comfort zone. Lafayette had already invited him, and Jefferson agreed, so it would be too much hassle for Alex to interrupt whatever scheme Lafayette was forming.

He had under a day to prepare for this mess, so if the worst was to happen, he could always get roaring drunk and blackout so hard he couldn't remember what happened the night before. There were worse ways to spend a Saturday.

During the drive home, John was as talkative as he usually tended to be, only pausing to point out the various dogs that they passed on the streets. Then, unexpectedly and after John had talked about the pair of heavily-built Labradors, "Speaking of dogs, how's Jefferson?"

Alex promptly choked on air. The topic had come out of literally nowhere, and though Alex wasn't surprised at the presence of an insult - Alex normally bitched about the colleagues he found annoying, so Jefferson was mentioned often - but it was subtle. Whilst John certainly made sure what he thought of Jefferson was known by all, he was rarely so levelled about it. The lack of cursing was all the more surprising.

"Why'd you ask?" was a better response than asking how many drugs John had recently taken.

"He's going to be glooming up our apartment with his existence." John shrugged. "I might as well check if he drinks tea or coffee, so I know what to poison."

"He drinks coffee, though poisoning it won't make a difference since our stupid machine fucked off." Alex replied, voice slipping into something more irritated when he remembered the reason why coffee tasted particularly awful that morning.

"Nice to know he's also a coffee gremlin." John said. "More tea for myself."

"Disgusting." Alex grimaced. John pressed down on the car horn loudly, causing Alex to jump. If John's resulting cackle was anything to go by, this was what he intended to happen. Alex responded by turning up the volume on the car radio.

By the time the following morning dragged by, Alex was equal parts curious and anxious to see this through. They had acquaintances over before and it hadn't ended in disaster. Though, Alex wasn't exactly known for dealing with Jefferson very well, so it could go either way.

No matter what, Alex was still going to snag the loveseat and keep it to himself. John narrowed his eyes at Alex. "Seriously? Again?"

"It's  _my_  seat now." Alex snapped. To prove his point, he retrieved the blanket strewn over the backs and placed it on him, abruptly cementing his position. John glared, about to say something, but  _The Imperial March_  began to shriek from Alex's phone.

"Your phone's ringing." He said, turning on his heel smartly and walking to the kitchenette.

"Not any more." Alex replied, and promptly pressed 'ignore call' without checking who had called him. At John's unfairly judgemental frown, Alex rolled his eyes. "If it's important, they'd call back."

Unfortunately, Alex was given all of three seconds before his phone rang again. John pointedly looked at him, so Alex huffed, reluctantly pressing answer. "What?"

"Hamilton." Jefferson replied, somehow sounding deeply unimpressed and finished with the entirety of mankind through one word. "Nice of you to be bothered to pick up."

"Who is it?" John asked, loud enough so Jefferson would probably be able to hear.

"An asshole who should know better than to call me." Alex answered, glaring at his phone. His friends mostly knew not to call him, since he seldom answered and Alex maintained the idea talking to people was overrated.

"Oh." John said, surprised, before recovering. "Tell your boyfriend to bring vodka!"

Alex sent a sharp glower over at John, who was wearing a rather delighted grin, as though he was proud of his weak insinuation. "Fuck off, he's not my boyfriend!"

"Ouch." Jefferson drawled. "And I thought things were going so well."

Alex decided that Jefferson and John would be able to bond over their shared love of making Alex suffer. Instead of calling Jefferson out on his obvious bullshit, Alex decided to find out why he was being bothered. "Lost?"

"Hardly." Jefferson said, and Alex could hear the expression Jefferson would adopt whenever Alex did something small that irritated him. "I'm wondering if I should purchase wine to get me through the afternoon."

It was nice to see that someone shared Alex's amount optimism at how well things would go. "That's the spirit, but don't get anything. Lafayette brings too much stuff, so we'll be good."

"Fine. I'm still bringing some wine." Jefferson decided. Alex was a moment away from objecting but somehow Jefferson picked up on this and elaborated, "If I spend too long in your presence it causes me to lose brain cells."

"You're so funny." Alex deadpanned. "You know, I was going to tell you to have a good day, but now I'm not going to."

"Don't bullshit, Hamilton, you would rather die than tell me to have a good day." Jefferson retorted, unconvinced, and Alex conceded that he had been correct in this regard. "I'm hanging up first."

"Wait-!" Alex quickly fumbled with his phone, trying to hang up before Jefferson did but to no avail; the bastard was faster. He spent a second or so staring blankly at his phone before shaking his head. "Son of a bitch."

"You're so kind to everyone." John said, holding a cup of what would probably contain repulsive leaf water. "Though, seriously, I don't want to sit next to Lafayette again if we're watching a romance. He always cries.  _Always_."

"If you think I'm moving for you then you are sorely mistaken." Alex said. John thinned his lips, about to argue, so Alex raised his hand in faux defense. "Look, if it helps, I'm not moving for anyone, I promise."

"You better not." John grumbled, though he seemed minorly placated, so Alex was willing to ignore the final remark. Unsurprisingly, Lafayette and Hercules were the first ones to arrive, and as usual, they brought an alarming amount of food that couldn't possibly be consumed by the numbers they had.

When the door was knocked again, all eyes went to Alex. Alex stared back for several seconds, unwilling to move, but when Hercules threatened to confiscate his selection of snacks, Alex grudgingly complied.

"I had to move for you." Alex complained the moment he opened the door. True to his word, Jefferson had brought wine, which he automatically pushed towards Alex, and Alex caught it.

"Poor you." Jefferson's voice wasn't particularly empathetic. "Truly, a travesty of justice."

"Okay, you've made your point." Alex rolled his eyes. He lead the way inside, vaguely comforted at how awkward Jefferson was acting. After placing the wine brought in the fridge, he reclaimed his place and collected his blanket. Jefferson automatically followed, but soon sighed heavily.

"Alexander." Jefferson said evenly, but there was an undercurrent of exasperation that clipped his words. "Move your damn legs."

In the same tone of voice, "Thomas. Sit on the damn floor."

"I will break your kneecaps. Don't test me." Jefferson smiled blandly with his threat. Alex smiled back, intending on not moving at all because he was comfortable and Jefferson wasn't ruining that. "Has anyone got a hammer?"

"Fine." Alex said through a heavy exhale. He moved his legs back so that Jefferson could selfishly steal the rest of his seat. Then, as soon as Jefferson had finished dramatically shuffling, Alex decided that just because Jefferson was there didn't mean he couldn't stretch out. Jefferson, predictably, tensed up more than he already was. "I'm not giving up the blanket, though."

"What the goddamn hell is this?" John exclaimed, jolting upright and gesturing wildly between Alex and Jefferson. "You  _literally_  just promised that you wouldn't move for anyone!"

"For shame, Alexander." Hercules shook his head in disappointment. "For  _shame_."

"He was going to break my kneecaps!" Alex snapped, giving Jefferson an accusing look. Jefferson was busy smirking to be bothered by Alex, relaxing minutely.

"Do it, he doesn't deserve them." John grouched petulantly. Alex scoffed, throwing his hands up in defeat. John ignored his response in favor of asking, "What's on today, Laf?"

"You'll see." Lafayette ominously replied, blocking John's view with his arm. "Since we aren't all prehistoric like Alex, I will be using a laptop to stream movies."

"You're so mean to me." Alex said. He nudged Jefferson. "See how mean he is?"

"Stop moving, it's annoying." Jefferson completely ignored the question. In response, Alex decided to reposition himself until Jefferson finally got tired of it and halted his movements placing a warm palm against Alex's ankle. Alex immediately froze. Jefferson seemed not to notice. "Are you ticklish?"

"Um - no." Alex blatantly lied, voice sounding distant, startled at the contact. John snorted derisively because he was a traitor, which immediately underlined his blatant lie. Jefferson gave a thoughtful hum, tapping his fingers importantly against Alex's skin.

"Keep that in mind, I will use it against you." He said. John looked slightly approving, but as soon as he noticed Alex looking it him, he gave a light shrug. At least Alex wouldn't have to worry about impromptu fist fighting.

Despite the fact that Alex had long since stilled, Jefferson still kept his hand resting against Alex's ankle in an uncomfortably domestic action. To make matters worse, Alex wasn't particularly motivated to dislodge the contact. There was something oddly soothing about this, yet Alex still felt rather ridiculous thinking about it.

"A horror movie?" John's voice broke through his thoughts. " _Really_?"

Alex made a noise of agreement, trying to remain as still as possible whilst shifting to reach the home brand chocolate spread and tortillas. Thankfully, Jefferson didn't react, focusing on Lafayette and John's interactions.

"Oui,  _really_." Lafayette said. He glanced at Alex and Jefferson, giving a slight smile as he noticed something that probanly wasn't there before it completely dropped and he scrunched his nose in distaste. "The true horror here is this, though."

"Still the best combination." Alex argued.

"Alexander, what the  _fuck_?" Jefferson asked, looking at Alex for some sort of explanation but when Alex pointedly offered none, he turned to Lafayette.  "What the actual fuck? Who made him like this?"

"Stop kink shaming him." John said.

"It's not a kink, it's a lifestyle." Alex contradicted. He met Jefferson's frown with one of his own, challenging him to do something about it. Then, in an inexplicable attempt to see if he could make Jefferson smile, Alex asked, "Did I discover it, or did it discover me?"

Jefferson tried to bite back a smile but inevitably failed. "I am deeply worried about you, Alexander Hamilton.

 "It's starting." John said, excitedly sitting up and staring intently at the glaring screen. He had already eaten half the snacks he coveted that were meant for later. John, for once contrasting to Alex, wasn't particularly bothered by horror movies.

 

 

**

 

 

There are many things that Alex is not proud of. He had lived his life to the full, avoiding the possibility of missing chances or having regrets later on in life. It was a rather prudent thing to do, albiet risky, opening the likelihoods possibilities like this.

Lafayette knew Alex hated horror movies, and solely because he did  _not_  respond well to them. By the first jump scare, Alex was tense and trying to even his heartbeat. "Jesus fuck."

"Shut up." John threw some popcorn at Alex but completely failed.

Things got worse from there. The protagonist had a fucking death wish, Alex was certain, because no idiot with over two brain cells to rub together would even fucking dare approach the obviously haunted house. The adrenalin in Alex's blood made his temperament sharper than usual.

Without warning, Alex moved, placing his hand over Jefferson's and causing Jefferson to startle. Alex was busy glaring at the film and trying to ignore the fact that he was  _literally holding hands_  with his sworn enemy, but at that moment, a particularly bad scene caused Alex to apply what had to be a crushing pressure.

As soon as the tension was resolved - becuase horror movies had a stupid fucking habit of terrifying the shit out of an audience before saying 'wait, nevermind', Alex's mind caught up with his quick reaction and he flushed. Before he could pull away, Jefferson laced their fingers together, and Alex faltered, glancing quickly at the point of contact. Jefferson was smirking.

"Not one word." Alex seethed, embarrassed and feeling caught out. With one hand, Jefferson mimed a zipping motion, radiating smug amusement but Alex was far too on edge to snap back at him.

At least he didn't actually hide behind Jefferson. He was able to retain that much dignity, but lost a sizeable amount by yelping when the protagonist had a cheerful time being literally thrown to the ceiling and her bone was suddenly where it _should not be_.

Alex guiltily took comfort in Jefferson's warmth, subconsciously leaning into him until his mind caught up with what he was doing. Jefferson didn't seem to notice or particularly care, though, when Alex gave a quick glance around the room, Lafayette was watching them with a delighted grin.

Suddenly, Alex realised that the choice of a horror movie wasn't a happy coincidence. He supposed that whatever Lafayette was planning had worked and Alex was going to have to live down Jefferson bringing this up. Currently, though, he was focusing on how the contact was far too intimate, as though he and Jefferson would actually date, and it wasn't that Alex was scared shitless of the demon monster thing.

When the end credits finally slugged by, Alex was officially scarred for life. It helped that both Hercules and John also seemed stunned, not moving to pause the film or turn the lights on again. Lafayette appeared to have delegated his time between hoarding all of the food and watching how Alex and Jefferson interacted, so he was therefore unaffected by the fact that everyone died.

"I take it you don't like horror movies." Jefferson drawled.

"I fucking hate them." Alex replied, sighing heavily. "Laf, why'd you pick that? We could've watched The Princess Bride but  _no_ , you wanted something scary."

"It was... unsettling." John eventually allowed, shaking his head and grimacing. Hercules nodded in serious agreement, still not voicing his own opinions. "I think I'm traumatized, and you know how difficult that is to do."

"I'll start to clean up." Hercules muttered, shaking his head. He tapped Lafayette in a silent implication that he should stop leaning on him. Lafayette sat up with a huff. John stood up, helping Hercules collect and bin various items.

Alex decided he would rather not move; Jefferson was a surprisingly comfortable person and he was incredibly unmotivated. After all, physical contact didn't mean anything - but it did mean that maybe he didn't hate Jefferson as much as he initially thought. Alex wouldn't be content in sitting besides and leaning against Aaron Burr, which meant that Jefferson was -  _god forbid_  - beginning to be slowly placed in the ' _friendly_ ' category.

How dreadful.

Alex would normally go and talk to Hercules about this sort of thing, but due to the plan he and Jefferson had going on, he couldn't be completely honest. His only other option was Madison, and they barely knew eachother.

"Thomas,  _cher_ , do you want coffee?" Lafayette asked. "Tea?"

Alex could feel the harsh rise and fall of Jefferson's chest when he sighed. "I'm technically going to be late for the meeting with Charles Lee."

Jefferson made no move to get up, his arm still half curled around Alex. Nobody mentioned their position, though Lafayette was smiling so broadly that it probably hurt, Hercules seemed pleased, and John would occasionally pause, glance over to them, and then shake his head with a small smile.

Alex might have lost all dignity from how badly he responded to horror movies, but the plan had advanced significantly. His friends were convinced and whilst Alex did feel guilty about manipulating the situation, he didn't need to lie to them; they had drawn their own conclusions with the barest bit of influence.

After roughly half an hour, it seemed that Jefferson was very,  _very_  reluctant to meet with Lee. He had messaged Madison - who insisted that they could still be on time if he drove them both to the meeting area. Alex was highly sceptical of this and let his opinions be known.

"I don't give a fuck." Jefferson replied calmly, replying to Madison in a rather passive-aggressive way that Madison surprisingly replied with ' _shove a cactus up your ass_ '. "See how mean James is to me? He acted nice when we first met but the moment he decided we were friends,  _this_  is how he talks to me."

"In his defense, you were a bit of a dick." Alex replied, completely unsupportive. "As usual."

"I'm not taking this any longer." Jefferson merely stated, moving abruptly and Alex was promptly left feeling rather cold. "I have a lovely meeting with people I don't like ahead of me."

"That's tragic." Alex sighed. "I might as well walk you to Madison's car. It's better than dealing with Herc and Laf being disgustingly romantic."

"Take me with you." John said in response, grimancing at the pair in question.

"No." Alex replied.

Jefferson was beginning to get impatient with how slow Alex was moving, and he promptly propped open the front door, giving Alex an expectant look. Just to gain more agitation, Alex slowed his movements down, talking time to refold the blanket he had huddled up in.

In response, Jefferson merely left.

"Jefferson's used a power move, Alex, I wouldn't let that slide." John observed, eyes wide. Alex inclined his head in nonverbal agreement, casting a quick glance at the window and found rather angry looking clouds. As a result, when he was making his way out the front door, he grapped Lafayette's umbrella, and maintained a light jog to catch up with Jefferson.

"We have a little over a month left." Alex mused. "So far, we're doing quite well."

Jefferson smirked. "James said that the overall total has gone up by three hundred dollars. Apparently, we're so good at acting that our office is convinced that 'the anouncement' will happen from a timescale of one day to four years."

"Four years." Alex repeated blankly.

"John Adams is not an optimist." Jefferson explained with a small, one-shouldered shrug. Alex almost rolled his eyes, because of course it would be Adams, but as he had predicted, the moment he and Jefferson stepped out of the apartment and into the street, small droplets of rain began to appear. Jefferson glared at the sky. "Well fuck."

"Aw, going to mess up your hair?" Alex asked with mocking sympathy.

Jefferson gave him a deadpan look. "Do you know how long it takes for me to look this good?"

Alex huffed a laugh, not disagreeing, which caused a sharp twist of curiosity across Jefferson's expression. Instead of allowing the conversation to run on Alex's lack of denials, Alex proudly proclaimed, "Don't worry, I came prepared!"

"That's Lafayette's hideous rainbow umbrella." Jefferson said. "You stole Lafayette's things."

"And?" Alex inquired, raising an eyebrow. "I see no problem."

"Just pass it to me." Jefferson sighed, shaking his head.

Alex frowned, moving the umbrella out of Jefferson's reach should he try to move for it. "No way."

"I'm taller, it's easier for us to both stay dry if I have it." Jefferson said measuredly, his voice clear and calm and logical. Alex, however, was now dead set on holding the umbrella, and he continued to keep it behind his back, even as the rain began to increase in frequency. "I am over six foot, and you're just below four-"

"I am five foot four and you're an asshole." Alex interrupted.

"-so it is  _impractical_." Jefferson finished. Alex remained unswayed by Jefferson's voice of reason, so Jefferson said with a rather strong tone of exasperated defeat, "Fine."

This, for some reason, made Alex ridiculously happy. He smiled to himself, finally revealing from where the umbrella was hidden behind his back. With more flourish than strictly needed, he was able to arrange his position so that they were both shielded. Granted, Alex did have to stretch a bit and Jefferson thought Alex's stubbornness was somewhat amusing.

For the most part, they stood in companionable silence, Jefferson occasionally offering to take the umbrella and shelter them both, but allowing Alex to determinedly refuse. There was something surprisingly comfortable about the scene, even if Alex was beginning to earn a slight ache in his arm.

Madison continued to message Jefferson, rather grumpily insisting that the rain was somehow Jefferson's fault, and when Alex rather conspicuously leaned over to see what Jefferson's reply was, Jefferson allowed Alex to read his oddly religious response (' _rain is actually from the baby Jesus crying'_ ) with minimal grumbling.

By the time Madison pulled up in his mutedly red car, Alex had lost all feeling in his right arm but surprised himself by not actually caring about the numbness and discomfort. Jefferson glanced at him, then up at the umbrella, and there was a slight quirk to his lips that didn't feel remotely insulting. In lieu of a 'goodbye', Jefferson said, "You know what, Hamilton? You're not so bad."

Jefferson decided to enter Madison's car before he could think of a response. Rather dimly, he offered a wave, before heading back.

If his friends noticed his stupid grin, then they didn't bring it up with him.

 


	2. Moral Combat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basic, key French vocab because y'all have better things to do than entertain my semi bilingual ass:
> 
> Oui/non - Yes/no  
> Cher - Dear  
> Amour - Love  
> D'accord(?) - okay/agreed  
> Ami - Friend
> 
> I'm sure you guys already know this, and please don't take this as an insult to your intelligence, but it's just in case. Also, a more complicated:
> 
> Je n'ai pas d'amis, ils finissent par me décevoir - I don't have friends, they just disappoint me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update - exams were not particularly pleasant for me, and I've got another year of required education to go, so yaaaaay. Being 15 is a heckin trap i want to be a crow
> 
> Also, with the title - I was very much tempted to give a shitty off brand name of Mortal Kombat

By the time Monday rolled by, Alex was already impatient for some sort of meaningful task. As much as his drive for something to occupy himself was a point of pride, he could also acknowledge that whilst his work ethic was unflinchingly effective, it wasn't exactly the epitome of a healthy balance.

Thankfully, the new week brought a different workload, and he was granted the space and time to fixate on how he could manipulate words to his advantage. For the most part, people left him alone; Hercules would sporadically drop by to ensure that he hadn't been crushed under the weight of some paper, and John would often visit to ask strange questions, like if it was appropriate to use _comic sans_ as his primary font and cause Alex to complain about suddenly gaining a headache.

Comic sans was never an appropriate font, especially for a grown man who had a real job and a rent to pay. Alex informed John of this fact, and he promptly left Alex's office, grumbling loudly under his breath.

Towards the halfway mark of the day, Alex was beginning to allow his mind to wander. He reigned himself in rather quickly, though not fast enough to wonder what Jefferson was currently doing. The answer to that was probably whatever work he was designated to, but that was boring, and Alex liked to think that he was plotting evil schemes with Madison.

He was able to bring himself on task, but wasn't quite able to get into the flow of things. When typing, his words felt robotic and forced, as though something was missing but he couldn't pinpoint _what_. Whilst he was quick with his work and rarely proof-read, his standards were still high, and he grudgingly deleted the entire paragraph he compiled for the duration of the hour.

When lunch break arrived, he didn't bother moving, and had long since resigned himself to obsessing over every sentence and turn of phrase. It felt like a discard of the entire day, and the depressing likelihood of him having to take this home was steadily increasing.

"Hamilton, you are aware that you can't photosynthesize, right?" Jefferson's voice cut through his lamenting. Alex sighed loudly, facing his general direction, not even bothering with an attempt to decipher the meaning behind what had just been said. Jefferson noticed this and gave him an amused look. "I see you're not feeling particularly quick. It's lunch break and you probably haven't moved in three hours."

"Four." Alex corrected, allowing Jefferson to become a distraction from his depressing lack of completed work.

"Healthy." Jefferson dryly noted. 

"I try." Alex closed his laptop, not wanting a reminder of how lacklustre the majority of his day had been. He foccused on Jefferson and distantly questioned where his tie (purple with various yellow geometrical shapes) was bought, and who had been drunk enough to think that it was a good idea. "Tell me something interesting about yourself."

Jefferson didn't pause. "I'm a Russian spy."

"I expected nothing, and yet still I am disappointed." Alex said flatly. The corners of Jefferson's lips briefly quirked upwards, as though he wanted to smile but didn't want Alex to know that he was found to be vaguely entertaining. "Tell me something about yourself that's actually _true_."

This time Jefferson took a moment or so to think his answer through, which was a positive sign. "When I was in France-"

"Getting high." Alex immediately interjected.

Jefferson didn't directly acknowledge his interruption, but his voice developed a clipped, short quality. "- _working on establishing a trade link with a different office,_ I learnt how to play guitar."

Alex paused. Jefferson seemed to be more of an obnoxious classical musician than modern, and guitar was a slight surprise. "So you got high and learnt how to play guitar."

"Oh my God, how are you _this_ insufferable?" Jefferson asked the world at large. This gave Alex a perfect opening, and Jefferson belatedly realised this, a look of frustration flashing across his expression.

"Maybe I'm insufferable because you're not doped up on all the weed you smoked." Alex mused, before helpfully adding, "You know, whilst you were in France."

"It wasn't funny the first time, asshole." Jefferson said. Before Alex could contradict this point, Jefferson added, "Though, I do wonder how we're going to cause more rumors. James says that people are placing more bets, to the point where they have to limit things to specific _days_ instead of weeks."

"You thrive in chaos." Alex observed. "That's worrying."

" _You're_ worrying." Jefferson replied quickly, which caused Alex to roll his eyes, leaning back. Alex was about to ask what had brought Jefferson here, but Jefferson cut in before he could voice his question. "I'm just making sure you haven't gone into a coma, I'm sorry worrying about your health is such a big insult."

"You're too sweet." Alex deadpanned. "Though, I'm dying inside. Why is my life so damn boring?"

"You're a boring person." Jefferson immediately said, giving Alex a saccharine smile at his resulting baleful glower. Alex closed his laptop with a neat click, promptly deciding that he was going to get coffee. "Has my witty comeback upsetted you that badly?"

"Hardly." Alex dismissed. Then, almost hesitantly, "I'm getting coffee so I can give my sad life some meaning. Are you coming with me, or sulking because I'm adult enough to ignore your childish insults?"

There was just enough insult there to make sure it sounded that Alex was reluctant, which was a rather surprising fallacy for reasons Alex wasn't particularly motivated to divulge into. Jefferson appeared mildly offended, so Alex was narrowly saved from having to explain himself.

"I suppose I can use some time out of the office." Jefferson conceded after a few moments of guarded deliberation. Alex rolled his eyes at the overly cautious mannerism (despite the fact that he had exhibited the same tact seconds before).

Jefferson, with exaggerated reluctance, moved towards the door and gave a wry smirk, gesturing sardonically for Alex to move. A strange, warm-soft fluttering jerked sharply in his chest when he realised that Jefferson was _holding a door open_ for him. Alex caught the feeling and crushed it into a corner, deciding that it was nothing of value.

"Since when was chivalry was dead?" Alex mused, sounding distantly interested. 

"Probably when someone saw you kill it." Jefferson replied flatly. Alex thinned his lips, trying to emphasize on just how unimpressed the supposed comeback made him. Jefferson took this as validation and appeared so fucking proud of himself that Alex had to bite back a smile.

As cool and confident ( _arrogant_ ) as Jefferson wanted to seem, he couldn't get his stupid sense of humor under wraps, so his overall untouchable facade was damaged. Alex led the way, double checking to make sure that Jefferson hadn't somehow gotten lost, but before he could pass Lafayette's office, Jefferson paused. Alex also paused, glacing at Jefferson in curiously.

"Chances are, he's waiting to question one of us and will reveal himself the moment we pass." Jefferson muttered under his breath. Alex spared him a deeply sceptical look, but before he could voice his disagreement, Jefferson read his expression and elaborated. "Trust me, he has nothing better to do than pry into the lives of his friends."

Alex conceded that Jefferson had raised a valid point.

Jefferson glanced at Alex, seemingly in evaluation, before he sighed. Without so much as a warning, Jefferson pressed his palm against Alex's and intertwined their fingers, promptly causing Alex's thought process to jolt to a jutting pause. His eyes immediately stuck to the point of contact - why the hell did he look so small with Jefferson's hand protecting his own? - before glancing up at Jefferson in wordless bewilderment.

Very slowly, as though Alex was being purposefully obtuse, Jefferson glanced pointedly to a closed door that Alex had completely forgotten about. Alex blinked, realised that Jefferson wanted Lafayette see and gain more incorrect ideas about them. His chest felt strangly light, as though he had inhaled helium, and unfortunately, if Alex tried to speak, he was sure his voice would rise a note or so in pitch.

Purely out of shock, of course.

Having one of your worst ( _enemy?)_  and most agitating colleague decide to carry out such an intimate gesture, coupled with the strange and contradictory constriction and lightness in his chest was enough to startle anyone.

He shifted his hand so that he was applying just as much pressure as Jefferson was, enjoying the warmth of Jefferson's hand against his perhaps a little too much. In Alex's defense, he was always naturally cold, and Jefferson radiated enough heat for Alex to be content.

Jefferson seemed to pick up on the fact that Alex was far too surprised to get his mind together and do something more than stand blankly in a hallway, so he took the lead, walking forward a step until Alex caught up and hastily followed.

True to Jefferson's word, Lafayette quickly peeled open his door with an expression of forced innocence before noticing their interlinked hands. He created an unusual noise between a squeak and a gasp, eyes widening and a sudden grin forming on his face and growing wide. Alex's glare was enough for Lafayette to back away, hiding his delighted expression with both of his hands.

As soon as they had rouded the corner and Lafayette was out of earshot, Jefferson decided, "That should distract Lafayette for long enough."

Alex wasn't particularly willing to let go of Jefferson's hand. It was completely inexplicable, unexpected and unreasonable - but the want to continue walking as they were was strong enough for Alex to object. He wasn't stupid enough to outright say that he wanted to continue holding Jefferson's hand because for some bewildering reason it was comforting. Alex still had a sense of subtlety, however frail it may be. "It wouldn't hurt if more people could see."

"You have a point." Jefferson allowed, not sounding the least bit frustrated that he would have remain this close to Alex. Jefferson always did seem to enjoy annoying or confusing people, which was apparently enough of a reason for him to abstain from protest.

Even if the only person they passed was Eliza (who gave a covert, omniscient smile but made no comment), Jefferson's hand remained gently against his. As soon as they exited the office complex, Alex flinched, curling in on himself. "It's  _cold_."

Jefferson huffed a small sigh (or laugh, Alex couldn't quite tell the difference without looking), but his hand remained with Alex's and Alex decided not to question it. Maybe Jefferson didn't notice what he was doing, and Alex wasn't going to remind him in case he moved away. "You're a cold blooded lizard. How did I not notice this before?"

"You're busy being blown away by how awesome I am." Alex said. Jefferson raised an eyebrow, but before he could comment, a slight wind picked up and cut through Alex. He grimaced. "Seriously, it's like the world wants me to freeze to death."

"Quit your complaining, I'm trying to help you stay warm." Jefferson replied, glancing pointedly at Alex and just how close Jefferson was allowing him to stand. As an afterthought, he added, "However, I don't think I'm able to help with your cold, dead heart."

"Aw, you make me blush." Alex gave a faux smiled, sarcasm laced in his words and Jefferson smiled back with equal sincerity. Unfortunately, Alex's smile soon turned genuine and he had to glance away. The rest of the walk was in comfortable silence, Alex occasionally risking questioning glances at Jefferson to read his mood, but quickly glancing away whenever Jefferson caught him.

Jefferson never called him out on it, but he was wearing a strange expression that Alex couldn't quite pinpoint. It didn't help that Jefferson was often impassive, and rare glances of after the mask had dropped were often difficult to notice.

The coffee shop Alex headed to was quiet but with a soothing lull of conversation. There was no longer an excuse to remain holding onto Jefferson, so he quickly detangled himself before Jefferson had a chance to do so, placing their orders and giving a look that could curl milk when he offered to pay for Alex's as well as his own.

"Do you feel even a bit guilty?" Alex asked, crossing his arms against his chest. His hand felt conspicuously colder. "We are deceiving our friends."

Jefferson paused, giving it thought. "Once or twice." He allowed. "Then I remember that they placed bets for two years, and that they're picking up on assumptions."

"For now." Alex pointed out, because at some point - three weeks - they would have to directly lie to the entire office, and whilst Alex certainly didn't have an issue with evading the full truth, directly lying was something he wasn't quite comfortable with.

Jefferson hesitated, sensing Alex's distaste. "You can always back out."

"I'm not a coward."

"Never said you were." Jefferson frowned. "Backing out of a situation you don't like means you have common sense and enough intelligence to realise your pride doesn't do shit for you."

Alex didn't immediately argue back. Instead, he noted something in Jefferson's voice that caused him to pin his words under further examination. "Personal experience?"

"Everyone gets that at some point in their life." Jefferson shrugged, uncaring.

Alex gave a vague hum of agreement, even if this had never particularly effected him before. He examined the terrain, taking in the patrons and the way they talked, before equipping increasingly dramatic back stories to them.

After deciding that just over half of the customers were very,  _very_  lost time travellers and the rest were drug smuggling, Alex turned back to pay attention to Jefferson, who was watching Alex with a rapt expression. Then, just as quickly as Alex had noticed it, Jefferson's face became impassive and left Alex wondering what had just happened. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Alex ventured, "What's your favorite film?"

Jefferson lightened, though judging by the set to his jaw, he was stuck in thought about something that Alex couldn't figure out. "I don't have one. Though, for some unknown reason, High School Musical is your favorite."

Alex raised his eyebrows. "That's the second time you've known something that I haven't told you."

"I'm naturally observant." Jefferson said, unperturbed.

"Really?" Alex challenged, not letting the subject go an illiciting a small sigh from Jefferson. "What's Lafayette's favourite film, if you're so  _naturally observant_?"

"Lafayette doesn't shriek about all of his opinions and constantly demand my attention." Jefferson pointed out with a world-weary patience.

"I do  _not_  demand your attention." Alex scoffed.

This time, it was Jefferson who sensed his advantage and then pressed, leaning forwards slightly with a self assured smirk. This close, Alex could feel the warmth of Jefferson's skin, he could see the individual flicks of amber against his iris. "You like annoying me."

Alex copied Jefferson's motion, meeting his eyes in competition. Quietly, as though telling a secret, he said, "It's  _Birdemic_."

Jefferson's eyes widened a fraction. "No."

"Yes." Alex replied solemnly.

"But it's so  _shit_." Jefferson expressed. Alex gave slight, soundless agreement; it was the worst thing he had ever seen, and he had to look at Charles Lee on a regular basis. Jefferson offered, "I think that's why he likes it."

Alex gave a one-armed shrug in a vague agreement, before pausing to consider the statement more and he eventually offered his own hypothesis. "Either that, or he finds it relatable. Who else hasn't experienced a bird apocalypse?"

Jefferson rolled his eyes. In purposefully obvious faux agreement, he drawled, "Why didn't I think of that sooner?"

"Lack of critical thinking?" Alex helpfully offered. Jefferson thinned his lips, trying to hide a reaction, so Alex pressed, "Repressed trauma? Debilitating anxiety that if you speak about it, it'll happen again?"

"There's only so much of your stupidity that I can endure." Jefferson sighed, affixing a widely world-weathered. He glanced pointedly at the clock hanging against the wall, and when Alex followed the look, he was surprised to see that their break was about to end in five minutes.

"I'm not stupid." Alex muttered under his breath.

"You're not, and that's what makes it worse." Jefferson replied easily. Alex regarded him with unveiled suspicion, which caused Jefferson to give him a rather flat, insouciant expression. "Come on, if we're late, I'm blaming you."

Alex scowled, primarily from reflex. He followed Jefferson's lead, standing up and preparing to leave, but before they left the establishment, he groused, "You're not my friend anymore."

"Well, that's not nice." Jefferson said, with a slight but apparently genuine trace of aggrievement. Despite the fact that Alex wasn't certain whether Jefferson was actually offended, he still bemusingly held open for him, causing Alex to make a theory that even though Jefferson was an asshole, he had a deeply engrained sense of politeness.

It was rather endearing, albeit old-fashioned.

Alex lingered for only a moment on that unbidden thought. He allowed the fact that Jefferson wasn't as bad as he had once summarized, but the idea of finding someone endearing was bewildering, especially as he was unaccustomed to a remote fondness for any of Jefferson's actions or character traits.

"Your wearing that weird frown you get whenever you're over thinking something." Jefferson observed, looking at Alex expectantly. Almost guiltily, Alex risked a quick glance, trying to restrain his expressions. He couldn't tell whether he was successful, as Jefferson merely raised an eyebrow. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Just thinking about stuff." Alex said with a slight lift of his shoulders.

His voice was neutral enough, but Jefferson was able to pick up on something that caused a small, speculative frown to form. Not even bothering to stop his tone from establishing his doubt, Jefferson mused, "If you say so."

Despite Alex's embarrassing attempt at lying, Jefferson let the matter drop.

 

 

**

 

 

Alex returned to his office without interruption. This was to be expected; Lafayette would certainly (over) react - and, if this entire ordeal had taught him anything - with more force than could ever be expected or remotely warranted. The likelihood that he was rallying all of their mutual friends for an interrogation was exceptionally high.

With a soul deep sense of impending doom, Alex resigned himself to his fate. For the most part, he had known what he was signing up for, but regardless he still reserved the right to be offended by how happy his friends were to blatantly betray him.

True to his ominous prediction, Lafayette materialized with John and Hercules in tow, with a knowing smile and a stubbornly determined set to his shoulders and jaw.

"What a coincidence, Alex is here." Lafayette gestured at him, before crossing his arms and giving John a significant look, one that probably indicated that Lafayette was the most subtle out of the three and should therefore be allowed to speak for them.

"This is literally my office." Alex pointed out.

"Trivial semantics." Lafayette dismissed with a casual flick of his hands. Hercules rolled his eyes with an air of exasperated fondness, attempting to hide his smile at how ridiculous Lafayette was being. "Speaking of secrets-"

"We weren't." Alex helpfully cut in, surprised at how painfully overt the entire line of questioning was. Lafayette fixed him a baleful glare, daring him to speak again.

Lafayette appeared to be assessing him critically, eyes just slightly narrowed, with an evaluative tilt of his head. Though, when he spoke, his voice didn't betray any sign of Alex being under investigation. "Is there anything you'd like to say, Alex? This is a non-judgement zone,  _d'accord_?"

Even Hercules seemed quite interested in his response, even though he had been rather dismissive of the whole ' _interrogate Alex until he confesses his supposed, sordid love affair_ ' plan. Alex's hesitance wasn't slightly faked, and he glanced between three equally curious faces. "Um... no, nothing has really happened."

John made eye contact with Lafayette, and grimly announced, "Plan B."

"You're coming to our house tomorrow." Lafayette informed him, as though Alex had no choice whatsoever in the matter. Judging by each fixed expression, Alex had no allied forces in this room, and would be forced to assign himself to horrifying scrutiny in the comfort of Hercules and Lafayette's home.

"What if I say no?" Alex tested.

"Then we'll adjust the dates for a more convenient time." Hercules smiled, parts genuine and parts steely with an alarming determination. Worse yet, Alex knew at that moment that he would be fighting a defeated battle; when Hercules joined in the argument, his word held a heavy amount of weight, and the other side was disregarded as obsolete.

Though, because Alex had more stubbornness than common sense, he kept pushing. "What if there was no convenient time? What if all of my time was devoted to my work?"

"Oh,  _cher_!" Lafayette exclaimed. There was a firm glint to his eyes, indicating that Alex had just unknowingly played into his hand, and it caused Alex to inwardly wince. Lafayette continued with forced melodrama, "I would hate for you to waste away, occupied with all that work! Why, I'm sure I could convince our boss and good friend, one George Washington, to give you a lesser work load."

Alex didn't gasp, but it was sure as hell a close thing. Shocked, he whispered, "You _wouldn't_."

Lafayette jutted his chin in a movement of someone who had just set their mind to something. Almost icily - a sharp juxtaposition his pleasant disposition - Lafayette contradicted, "I would. After all, your health comes before anything else in the world."

Alex grimaced, worried that Lafayette would throw down the guilt card, but by some stroke of fortune, he was spared. Instead, it was John who tried to reason with Alex. "I'm sure you can take a few hours of reprieve. Think of it as work away from work."

With a dark glower sent to Lafayette, Alex muttered, "I will."

"Excellent!" All at once, Lafayette's mood had brightened, and he grinned, clapping his hands together and looking less like the deranged schemer Alex distinctively knew him to be. "I've already asked Thomas, of course-"

"You asked Thomas?" Alex repeated, eyebrows raised, and whilst he was unperturbed by the fact that Jefferson would yet again be tagging along, he was surprised that Jefferson would abstain from informing Alex about this decision.

" _Thomas_ , is it?" Hercules cut in. Despite the fact that he seemed too mature for direct meddling did nothing to protect Alex from the lighthearted jab. "Well, I'm glad to know you're finally on a first name basis."

Alex glared but John muffled a laugh that only got worse when Lafayette cheerfully pitched in, "I wonder what your wedding vows will be!"

If they were going to make fun of Alex, then he might as well attempt to join in and at least get some amusement from shocking them all with his involvement. "How about, 'Jefferson, you're an asshole and I hate you.'"

The entire room lasted silent for all of three seconds before John made a noise between a laugh and a snort, Lafayette wheezed, and Hercules sharply asked, "What happened to  _Thomas_?"

Despite the fact that this was all bullshit and based off of a bet that developed into a lie, Alex couldn't help but draw a comparison to how it would be if he ever suffered a concussion bad enough to actually want to date Jefferson. Granted, Alex wouldn't suffer too badly, especially when he had recently discovered the scarce, hidden little smiles Jefferson gave him when he thought that Alex was being dramatic, which softened his usually guarded expression.

His curious thoughts must have somehow translated into an expression make him look sickeningly infatuated, as Lafayette practically cooed and John grimaced with a particular brand of distaste reserved for when Lafayette and Hercules were particularly sentimental with eachother.

Disregarding the fact that Alex had done nothing to knowingly encourage that kind of response, Alex let it pass. Even if it was slightly frustrating that his friends were refusing to tackle the issue and reject the idea of asking Alex questions directly, he was still able to enjoy the easy comradery that was freely given between them.

He was able to endure wiggling eyebrows and jesting nudges, but didn't particularity show a reaction to anything until John asked, "Have you two kissed yet?"

Suddenly, Alex was reduced to a twelve year old with his first crush. He could feel heat flare rapidly to his face, probably painting him an unflattering shade of crimson. He hoped that, somehow, his hands managed to cover up any expression he could.

"They haven't." Lafayette guessed, noting Alex's surprised mortification. Alex flushed even more at the correct assessment, hoping that the world would swallow him up. He was sure that, normally, he would be able to just brush past such a comment. However, today had him reeling in loops like a damn teenager. Lafayette made matters worse by pensively adding, "Though, they have definitely held hands."

"Leave him be, he's suffering." Hercules, his only true friend in light of this blatent attack, placed a consoling hand on Alex's shoulder. "I'm sure he'll make up for lost time soon enough."

Alex scowled, though the idea brought up many images - and none of them were entirely unpleasant. This resulted in his further embarrassment, which only caused John to guffaw loudly. Hercules seemed completely unrepentant, though he did nudge Alex slightly to make sure it was known that he wasn't being serious.

"You're all terrible people." Alex grouched, scowling, but knew that he didn't look particularly intimidating given the circumstance. "What are we going to do at yours? It's not going to be movie night."

"Oh, he has a point, Laf." John immediately added, briefly on Alex's side. Lafayette rolled his eyes with a small shake of his head, evidently disagreeing, but John pressed the matter. "It's tradition. You can't break tradition. Tell him, Herc!"

"Do you honestly think I'd side with you over my boyfriend?" Hercules asked, raising an eyebrow. "You've forgotten that once you leave, you're out of his company. I'm stuck with him forever." At this, Lafayette gave him a sharp look. Hercules smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

John promptly made a gagging noise. " _Tell me_ you're not going to be like this for the rest of your lives."

"I've promised not to lie to you, so..." Hercules gave a hapless little shrug, permitting the rest of the sentence to fall. John groaned, covering his face with his hands in frustration.

"It's sickening." John insisted, scrunching up his face. He looked at Alex for support, and seemed rather encouraged when Alex gave a curt nod of agreement. "Normally, I'm all for the gay, but when you two being gross and romantic - I'm out."

"We've just found out that John's greatest fear is commitment." Alex said.

"You do realise we do it on purpose?" Lafayette frowned at John. "It's to make you uncomfortable because your frustration entertains me."

"I'm not even surprised." John lamented, pinching the bridge of his nose in a world-weary form of pure exasperation. Hercules grinned brightly - it seemed that he and Lafayette were to be held equally culpable for making John suffer - and then, when he was sure he had John's full attention, began to wax poetically about Lafayette.

John merely sighed, giving Alex a look that spoke of many, many past battles and many personal losses, all of which took a heavy toll on his shoulders and he was carrying the weight of each past action with him as a reminder to never make the same mistake again. "When -  _if_  you ever go out with someone in our office, please don't be as repulsively sappy as them."

"I won't." Alex promised. "I'll be worse."

"We raised him well." Lafayette decided, somehow managing to sound both genuinely proud and sarcastic. Hercules was quick to confirm Lafayette's statement, clasping Alex's shoulder.

John threw up his hands, mildly affronted, but nobody paid him much attention because Alex was beginning to realise that both Hercules and Lafayette were right - annoying John _was_ fun.

As soon as half an hour had passed - unexpectedly soon and disappointing when it arrived - Alex's friends decided that if they spent any longer outside of their own offices, someone woild get suspicious and bring a great deal of attention that none of them would want.

Though, Alex was very quick to reason that he was allowed to roam the halls as he had remained in his office. Without putting much thought into his actions, he followed the path towards Jefferson's office.

"You're going to Lafayette's tomorrow." Alex accused in lieu of a greeting. Jefferson immediately glanced up at the sound of his voice. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Jefferson gave him a look of grave consideration. Eventually, he allowed a terse, "Lafayette said that you had agreed to it."

"Funny, he said the exact same thing to me." Alex muttered. Lafayette was certainly a schemer that he needed to keep an eye on. Jefferson found this slightly humorous, and though he was able to physically restrain a physical reaction, Alex could still feel his amusement. Alex briefly wondered when he had gotten so good at reading Jefferson's moods.

"Why are we friends with him?" Jefferson muttered, not looking for an answer. Alex merely shrugged, unsure of a reason why. "Regardless, I'm anything if not adaptable. We have a week to sort this shit out and get about five hundred dollars apiece, and by now people are just waiting for the announcement."

"Who even started the bets?" It was mostly rhetorical. Despite how insulting it was, for the entirety of the office - with _over one hundred members_  - to know about the wager, Alex still had someone to thank for basically handing him a stupid amount of money over such a trivial cause.

"Apparently James knows, but he won't tell me." Jefferson replied, voice laced with scepticism. Alex privately agreed, though it was likely to be started by one of the Schuyler sisters, or one of his friends. 

"Do you know Lafayette's address?" Alex asked. "You'll want to make your own transport there. Once he's got you in his grips, you'll never be free again."

"Don't be ridiculous." Jefferson scoffed, crossing his arms as though he was profoundly offended at the mere idea of Alex doubting his capabilities as a human. "I'm an  _adult,_ of course I'll drive myself there."

 

 

**

 

 

As it later turned out, Jefferson was not capable enough to drive himself to Lafayette's house.

Jefferson, despite his insistence that he was a grown man and could take care of himself, had James Madison drive him. Alex had been waiting outside of Lafayette and Hercules's house, partially to avoid their alarming tendency to call eachother horrifying pet names (and, some part of himself admitted, he was mostly waiting for Jefferson because as strange as it was, he was looking forward to this).

He saw Madison's work car pull up to the side walk, country music blaring from a half-opened window, before abruptly cutting off.

"Is that Alex?" Madison asked loudly, loud enough for Alex to overhear despite the fact that Alex was several meters away. He frowned, glancing around him as if another Alex was going to materialize, before deciding to approach the car.

Jefferson hissed, " _James_."

In spite of what appeared to be genuine mortification from Jefferson (or because of it), Madison grinned. He overtly lowered the window, leaning so that his head stuck out of the window. "Hi, Alex!"

"Hello." Alex offered, unsure if he should wave. He decided against it a split second too late and ended up giving an awkward half-wave.

"Oh my god." Jefferson sighed heavily, sounding deeply, deeply  _pained_. "Stop, you're embarrassing him."

James continued to grin blithely. "What has your day been like so far? Mine has been frankly awful, since my son - who is a year older than me and is supposed to be an  _adult_  - has somehow  _lost_  his  _car_  in a  _fucking_  parking lot. How do you do that, Alexander?  _How do you lose track of a stationary vehicle?_ "

Alex wasn't sure whether to laugh. Judging by the darkly mutinous expression Jefferson was wearing, he was supposed to be strongly disapproving of what Madison was saying. Unfortunately, Madison was expecting a response. "Oh, um-"

"That's it." Jefferson announced to the world, throwing his hands up. Then, glarig at Madison, he threw open the door. "I'm going."

Immediately, Madison's faux sunny demeanour was fixed back on. He held up a plastic bag adorned with ladybugs, and Jefferson's face immediately contorted at the sight of it. He quickly escaped the car, but despite his speedy exit, he wasn't fast enough to avoid hearing Madison happily add, "Don't forget your lunch."

"James." Jefferson said flatly.

"What?" Madison now had a defensive tone, and he frowned at Jefferson. "Just saying, it'd be nice if you'd eat an apple instead of going mad on sugar. Call me when you want me to pick you up from your friend's house."

With that, Madison was away, leaving a thoroughly bewildered Alex and a rather frustrated Jefferson in his wake. Rather slowly, as though Alex was afraid of the answer, he asked, "What was that?"

"He thinks it's funny. If I ever need help, then all of a sudden he's a suffering single parent and he _does_ _not stop_ until he has made his point."

"Herc does that." Alex winced, sympathetic. Jefferson still seemed agitated, so Alex continued. "Lafayette is more of an aunt that you see once a year in family reunions, who somehow gets drunk on wine within the first half hour and then disappears."

"Oddly specific, and yet strangely accurate." Jefferson mused.

Despite the fact that Alex still had a lot of questions - namely how Jefferson was able to lose an entire car - he kept himself quiet, correctly guessing that Jefferson wasn't particularly keen on the idea of an in depth discussion.

Jefferson seemed content to let a comfortable silence fall between them. 

It was a far cry from the last time silence had fallen before them, and Alex relaxed in it, enjoying the warm comfort that company without words provided. This, within itself, was unusual and arguably uncharacteristic of him, but the calmness was there, nonetheless.

The gentle peace lasted for all of ten seconds.

"Thomas!" Lafayette exclaimed, throwing open his door and grinning brightly. Jefferson sighed, attempting to act exasperated, but Alex could see the slight smile he was trying to hide. "It's lovely to see you, and  _with Alex_ , too."

The candidly coquettish wiggle of his eyebrows was entirely unsolicited and Alex scowled in response. Jefferson seemed equally unimpressed. "Yes, with Alex."

"Don't encourage him." Alex warned, a little late as Jefferson had already provoked another remark that Lafayette was undoubtedly on his way to creating. "You'll make it worse for both of us."

"John's already here." Lafayette said. "It's nice to see you two  _together_  - as in, arriving with eachother. Truly excellent, though I do wonder why it took you so long - the drive to my home from yours only takes a minute or so."

Lafayette was very,  _very_  unsubtle and Alex was going to  _kill_  him.

 _Slowly_.

Jefferson seemed equally vexed, but merely spared a glare at Lafayette's blatantly suggestive remarks, leading the way forward into the house. Alex hastened to follow, but not before he could mutter, "Laf, if you embarrass me, just think about how I know where you live."

"Do you know where Thomas lives?" Lafayette immediately replied.

Alex glowered, likely signifying that the answer was a distinct ' _no_ '. Lafayette smiled with the innocence of a demon, closing the door behind them with a neat click. Alex chose to nonverbally reply with choiced swear words, thinking of a decent remark that would've been perfect seconds before and was now too late to say.

When Lafayette and Alex entered the living room, it was clear the dynamics had been set up. In some strange sort of petty revenge, John was reclined against the full length of a couch, smirking when he saw Alex's horror-struck expression. Hercules horded himself in the corner of the room, a Lafayette-sized gap immediately besides him.

Alex glanced at Jefferson, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to stand there like a sentient coat hanger all day?"

"Who said I was sentient?" Jefferson scoffed, though the tense line running across his shoulders indicated that he was decisively not comfortable with something. "Besides, it's better to be a coat hanger than to sit next to Laurens."

Alex hesitated, glancing between Jefferson and John, trying to read the tone of the situation and diffuse any hostility as quickly as possible. John seemed deeply unbothered, offering a lazy grin as he gave Jefferson a one finger salute. "Right back at ya, Jefferson."

Jefferson frowned. Alex was quickly able to place his tension as an uncertainty of where to go, as Alex hadn't yet found a position, and therefore, Jefferson couldn't place the most appropriate area. Jefferson was able to cover up his discomfort through snark. "You keep up a running commentary."

"Not as bad as Alex's." John pointed out, a vehemently defensive lilt to his accent.

"The difference is I like Alex." Jefferson replied easily, not even hesitating. John rolled his eyes, evidently disappointed by his answer, but Lafayette coughed loudly, covering his grin with both hands and ultimately failing.

"I'm a thrid wheel for everyone here." John mourned. "I'm a sixth wheel."

"There's only five of us here." Alex replied, not contradicting the implication that he and Jefferson were a couple. The thought made him feel slightly uneasy, since deception wasn't his strong suit and, as Hercules put it, Alex had preference towards 'being so bluntly and needlessly honest that people just want you to shut up.'

"What will we be doing?" John asked, somehow already bored from the lack of entertainment. Lafayette gave a vague answer - which meant that he hadn't really thought it through. "Fuck it, I'm playing Mortal Kombat."

John stood up, preparing the games console and promptly leaving his seat up for taking. Alex, ever the opportunist, took his place before he could even note what had happened.

John scowled when Alex merely smiled sweetly at the look of affronted accusation.

"How does one so small move so damn quickly?" Jefferson wondered out loud, settling next to Alex, though watching John with vague interest as he went through the trial and tribulation of having to set everything up.

"Nobody pays attention to him until it's too late." Lafayette informed Jefferson, features drawn into a picture of solemnity. "It's the last mistake they will ever make."

"Duly noted." Jefferson replied, unphased by the serious warning. Lafayette gave a dubious hum, evidently unsure whether he should press the matter or leave it be, but was saved from a response when John decided to be rather vocal about his success in mechanics.

Immediately, Lafayette dislodged himself from where he was curled up against Hercules, face set in steely determination. Alex sighed. "Three things you should know; John has a psychotic desire to win, Hercules seems calm but is actually really fucking aggressive, and Laf will insult you in French."

"What about you?" Jefferson asked. Both were watching the silent exchange of utmost hatred between Lafayette and John.

Alex paused, before deciding on, "I'm flawless."

Hercules and John snorted at the same time, whereas Lafayette whipped himself around to give Alex a deeply incredulous look before realising the game screen had loaded during his distraction and John was cheerfully proceeding to beat the living shit out of his character. Hercules helpfully stated, "He brags so much, you'll want to brain him with his controller."

"Ouch." Alex said. "John, do you see how I am attacked?"

"Fuck off." John replied, tone blank, focusing avidly on trying to end Lafayette, brows furrowed deeply and eyes darting across the screen. Alex huffed, leaning back, scowling.

"Don't worry, Alex, I see how attacked you are." Jefferson replied, mockingly sympathetic, but it was better than nothing so Alex allowed it.

To say the game was close would be an insult to Alex's observational skills. Lafayette, regardless of how much he swore, simply couldn't keep up with John, and promptly lost so harshly that John looked sorry for him.

Lafayette placed the controller on the floor with more force than necessary, grimly announcing, "Tout le monde -  _sauf moi_  - est un  _oeuf._ " 

John paused, blinking. He glanced at Hercules, raising his eyebrows. "Did - did you just call me an egg?"

 _"Did you just call me an egg_?" Lafayette mimicked, pitching his voice higher, hands on hips. John merely stared, bewildered, as though he had never seen Lafayette act this petty when he lost. Besides Alex, Thomas was silently shaking with laughter, eyes bright and grinning. "You are a cheat, Jonathan Bartholomew Laurens."

"Rematch?" John offered, and to the surprise of nobody, Lafayette readily agreed.

And promptly lost.

"Je n'ai pas d'amis, ils finissent par me décevoir." Lafayette muttered, shaking his head, but seemingly accepted his defeat. He returned to his place besides Hercules, still muttering under his breath, and casting both John and Alex - who had done  _nothing_  to earn his spite - dark looks.

Hercules gave Lafayette a comforting look. He leaned over and took the remote, giving John a deeply challenging look, whilst still staying besides Lafayette. It caused him to be in a likely uncomfortable position.

"Place your bets, it's going to be a vicious game." Thomas mused. Alex huffed a small laugh of agreement, but Lafayette, who was still bitter about his brutal losses, sent a glower.

Hercules was evidently the most experienced and skillful player. Instead of gracelessly tapping random buttons and hoping that this did something, Hercules knew which moves to execute and when. Additionally, he knew how, which meant he had a broader arsenal of styles at his disposal.

However, as Alex had said earlier, John's usual sense of fairness and loyalty towards his friends dissolved into a sociopathic need for success. Whilst he certainly hadn't cheated in Lafayette's game, he wasn't above bending the rules to his advantage.

John was able to snag a brutal, undeserved win by quickly changing the view of the screen. During Hercules's momentary distraction - a mere fraction of a second - John had Hercules's character backed in a corner, and on the receiving end of a stream of punches.

"Cheap move, Laurens." Hercules said, shaking his head, but had far more grace than both John and Lafayette. "Cheap move. That victory is hollow."

"A victory is still a victory, regardless of how petty it might seem." John replied. "I earned that. Jefferson, you're up."

"Is now the time to say that I've never played this game?" Thomas asked, voice lowered so that only Alex could hear. Alex shot Thomas a sharp look, testing to see whether he was serious or not. When he found no sign of mockery, Alex shook his head slowly. Thomas sighed, catching the remote with both hands when John threw it over.

"Just keep spamming this button." Alex said, gesturing to the leftmost one. Thomas gave a slight nod, indicating that he had listened, before crossing the room with a grimly set face.

"You're a brave man." Lafayette stated, pressed into Hercules's side so his voice was slightly muffled. "John is a vicious little human."

"I'm not a  _little human_ , I'm taller than Alex!" John immediately protested, throwing his hands up and glaring indignantly. Alex frowned at being dragged into this, glaring back at John.

"Wow, what an accomplishment." Thomas deadpanned, though he was primarly directing his attention to working out the controls. Whenever he correctly worked something out, his expression would soften just barely.

"I was nice to you." Alex said. "Why'd you hurt me this way?"

Thomas didn't answer, but he did send Alex a rather unimpressed look. By the time he chose a character - after asking several questions about controls and gameplay - Alex was beginning to get slightly impatient. Worse yet, Thomas seemed genuinely bewildered, but the moment John covered his face with his hands, Thomas gave a slight smirk.

He was doing this on purpose, just to wind people up, and it was working flawlessly.

Thomas glanced at Alex, checking his reaction, but upon finding that his game had been discovered, he quickly schooled his expression into something more innocent. With a slight frown, he asked, "Wait, I forgot-"

"Argh!" John wailed, voice jumping in dynamic. He gestured accusingly at the screen. "If you go to the main menu  _one more time_ -"

"He's only learning." Hercules interrupted what would probably be one of the most bloodthirsty threats known to humanity. Thomas smiled sweetly in resopnse, the very picture of inculpability and Alex did not believe it for a second.

"Thomas, drop it, you're going to make John cry." Alex said. Thomas sighed, muttering something Alex couldn't quite catch under his breath before finally abandoning the bewildered facade and selecting a character with a confidence that caused John's eyebrows to try their damndest to reach the ceiling. Rather flatly, Alex asked, "Why are you like this?"

"It's fun." Thomas simply replied. John thinned his lips, suspicious, and gave a half-move towards the setting controls. Hercules noticed this and moved it away before he could do anything to influence the game in his favor.

For the first time all evening there was a remote semblance of tension. Thomas still seemed uninterested in the proceedings but there was a sharp glint to his expression to indicate that he was invested. John was wearing a twisted expression, eyes narrowed and unblinking, fixed on the screen.

"Has anyone ever noticed how creepy John can be?" Hercules asked the room at large. John didn't even reply, focusing on the task at hand with such a direct scrutiny that Alex wondered if he had gone into an advanced form of cardiac arrest that meant he could still sit upright.

Then, suddenly, there were rapid-fire movements as John attempted to complete what would be a debilitating blow. Thomas merely blocked him, as though John wasn't trying to earn a quick win.

"You're a liar." Alex suddenly realised. Thomas glanced at him, seemingly pleased that Alex had caught on and that they could now discuss his entirely needless villainy. "You said you haven't played this before."

"Why do you sound surprised?" Thomas drawled, any pretence now thrown away in favor of executing a complex movement that caused John to swear colorfully. "You're the one who insisted I was a pathological liar."

Alex, surprisingly, wasn't annoyed with this. Instead, there was a vague amusement. Though, he couldn't let Thomas know this, so he pretended to be affronted. "I've never said that you're a pathological anything, I said that you thrive on chaos."

"If you're allowed to paraphrase me, then I'm allowed to do the same." Thomas replied cheerfully, promptly winning the game as though John had done nothing more than feebly swat at him. Additionally, Thomas knew that this was what the situation exerted, and merely sat back with a smirk. Ever the diplomat, he offered with faux sincerity, "John, that was a good game."

John told Thomas to go and do something both rather rude and physically impossible.

Alex, naturally, was challenged next, and Thomas was given a flawless victory and Alex insisted that he had let Thomas win out of the kindness of his heart. There was a handful of doubtful murmuring, but the group seemed to let Alex live in his delusion, so he didn't call them out on it.

By the time a few hours had passed, John and Lafayette were seemingly in a bitter stalemate. Hercules was half-heartedly cheering Lafayette on, but appeared rather unmoved by any loss that either faced.

Alex speculated that was a given, since Hercules had witnessed far more competitive nature and was likely desensitized.

Thomas, at least, was minorly invested, having bet his soul (despite Alex's objections that he certainly didn't possess one) on John winning. Occasionally, Alex would make a backhanded comment that would coax a laugh from Thomas or a hideous glower from Lafayette.

The scene was entirely too domestic and very, very close to perfection.

Surprisingly, this thought didn't make Alex want to bolt out of the room and erase whatever caused him a slight discomfort. Instead, it caused a sudden longing, a wistfulness that was bittersweet and impossible to place. 

Thomas was right besides him, and Alex was struck with the notion of how easy it would be, to reach out and take Thomas's hand in his own.

"What time is it?" Thomas suddenly asked, startling him from his reverie and causing Alex to flush as though he was caught doing something incriminating. When Hercules answered - half eight - Thomas nodded. With a perfectly conversational tone, he mused, "I want lilies at my funeral, since James is going to murder me and hide my body."

"Has he messaged you?" Alex asked, which caused Lafayette to tense slightly, pausing the game and disregarding John's petulant objections. Thomas simply held up the phone, allowing Alex to read the notifications. "Seven messages and four missed calls."

"Oh, no!" Lafayette said in the most unconvincing tone known to man. He attempted to look vaguely regretful, but his slight smile killed the look. "I guess you'll have to stay. Truly tragic."

"You could just call Madison." Alex pointed out.

"I could, but I'm interested in what Lafayette will do." Thomas shrugged, as though he hadn't just signed his death warrent. "He's planning something, you can tell."

"Lafayette  _planning_  something is a reason why you should change your name and ride up to Seattle." Alex said grimly. Thomas sighed, showing Alex the most recent of messages from Madison, and Alex conceded. "He would kill you for bothering him."

"I welcome death." Thomas said.

"Same." John added, now thrown into the real world since the game had been paused due to Lafayette quickly jumping to his feet and running to retrieve some blankets.

"What I don't welcome, however, is James muttering passive aggressive comments under his breath for the rest of my mortal life." Thomas added, hastily tapping out a reply to Madison's increasinly agitated messages.

"God forbid that happens." Alex said dryly. "You wouldn't want to  _offend_  anybody."

Thomas noticed his tone and pointedly raised an eyebrow. "I like James, so yes, he is someone I do not want to offend."

"Speaking of offensive things..." John trailed off, glancing at Lafayette, who emerged carrying what seemed to be half of the world's supply of blankets. He waddled over to where Alex and Thomas were, before unceremoniously dropping them on the floor.

"Delicate as usual." Thomas noted, reaching down to hold up a boy band branded blanket. "If I had to guess, this would belong to Laurens."

John scowled at being so quickly found out. Alex gave a vague noise of confirmation, busying himself by nesting into a small cocoon of fleece. By the time he had finally gotten comfortable, Lafayette had resumed playing and John was back to glowering at the screen, hellbent upon getting some form of dignity back.

Alex distantly watched them, listening to Thomas's running commentary become a soothing lull.


	3. You Did All of This For a Wheelbarrow?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I Hhatze this ohhhmygod tjis chapter,, im sorru,,,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update - medical ethics essays are all fun and games until you actually have to write one. It was about autonomy (basically, the right to make informed decisions that can lead to you refusing treatment). It's really interesting to me, and it's interesting if you're into philosophy or ethics :)

By the time Alex drifted into consciousness, he was jarringly jolted into the focus of how awkward his position was. One of his arms had lost all feeling due to him forcing his full weight to rest on it and consequently cutting off circulation. His legs were beginning to ache and his thoughts were uncomfortably foggy and difficult to form, regardless of how he tried to sharpen them.

At the same time, Alex could feel fingers gently raking through his hair, relaxing and causing Alex to hum in approval, unthinkingly pressing into the touch. Then, the body besides him tensed, and Alex was left feeling abruptly colder when he could feel the other person move away.

After a second or so of grieving the loss, he was able to string together enough coherence to realise where he was, and who he was most likely to be half-attempting to crush under his weight. Rather reluctantly, he opened his eyes enough to squint at the darkness. There wasn't any other sound apart from his heartbeat and Thomas's slow, balanced breathing, and this alone was enough of an indication to make Alex decide that the others had long since retired.

"Where's everyone else?" Alex redundantly questioned, voice dry and rough. He sat up, a little too quickly, and immediately grimaced at how lightheaded he was made to feel. Thomas's expression was difficult to read at the best of times, and it didn't help that his face was predominantly obscured by the darkness.

"Lafayette and John started arguing so Hercules sent them to bed early." Thomas replied easily. Alex squinted, unsure of whether he was being truthful. "Speaking of which, you've been leaning on me for about three hours. It's damn near midnight."

Alex huffed, and placed his hand over his eyes. Then, he scowled, and with more than a little petulance, grouched, "Did you wake me?"

" _No_." Thomas sounded genuinely indignant. "Now, get your ass up to the lowest circle of hell, I need my beauty sleep."

Alex grumbled under his breath, but he was far too tired to make an articulate argument, and mutinously shuffled back to his usual delegated guest room. Though he was frustrated at having to move when Thomas was warm and comfortable, he still kept his footsteps quiet and quick.

He was able to get changed into his normal spare articles of clothing that had turned into pajamas before remembering that Thomas would have brought nothing. On the one hand, Alex was exhausted, and he could easily ignore the fact that Thomas was likely suffering.

At the same time, Alex didn't particularly want Thomas to suffer, so he grudgingly wrapped a soft blanket around his shoulders - a form of compromise - and stalked towards the living room, still keeping his steps light and slowly opening the door.

It became immediately apparent that Lafayette and Hercules had been one step ahead of Alex, and had brought down some of Lafayette's clothing as they were a similar build and ridiculous height. Thomas had already changed, but Alex's eyes were immediately drawn to his chest and he felt a dull burn heat up his cheeks.

Rather awkwardly, he cleared his throat. Seeing Thomas in more casual clothing was like entering an alternate reality and his own reaction warrented close examination. Lamely, he offered, "I figured you'll be lonely. Normally, you have one of your evil minions to recite Shakespearean poetry to you."

Thomas huffed, but didn't bother replying. He continued whatever he was doing before Alex intruded, which caused Alex to pause. "Why are the pillows on the floor?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Thomas asked, and Alex could hear the implied roll of eyes. "I'm making a den."

"You were going to make one without me!" Alex accused, aghast. His voice had raised slightly and both of them winced, Alex glancing at the shut door and trying to sense whether he had disturbed anyone.

Thomas didn't insult him, but there was certainly an unspoken epithet in his words. With forced reason, as though he was the only person who made sense in the entire world, he expressed, " _Yes_ , because I thought you were going to try and  _sleep_ , and I'm a nice person."

"Okay, wow." Alex said flatly, hands raised in a false gesture of offended surprise. Thomas scoffed, but Alex contined. " _Wow_. You're lucky I like dens so much."

Thomas murmered something else under his breath but at Alex's sharp look, almost daring him to elaborate, he dropped the subject, and opted to help Alex in pushing the couch so it had the back facing them.

Unsurprisingly, Lafayette had left enough blankets to warrent a reasonable mix up with a small home-based business. After Thomas carefully weighed each one for whether or not it was appropriately light, he sorted two piles whilst Alex tried to find some sort of item to hold said blanket in place.

After a minute of searching, he held up the sad package of pins with an apologetic grimace.

"They'll do." Thomas decided after a brief but critical examination. "Are there any fairy lights?"

Alex placed the proffered item on the coffee table and fixed Thomas a disdainful look that suitably expressed a suffering lifetime of disappointment. "Of course there is, this is Lafayette's house."

The only confirmation of Alex being heard was a dry look, before Thomas turned and continued to attempt fixing a blanket to the back of the couch. Alex scowled, but still went to retrieve the sought after item. After minimal hesitation - Lafayette had far too much money to spend, and even more time on his hands - he selected four different types.

With as much ceremony as possible, he opened the living room door, only to do a slight backtake when it appeared that Thomas had completed the vast majority of the den. For a second, Alex was vaguely impressed at the efficiency.

"These could choke a man." Alex declared, holding the four lights up.

"Kinky." Thomas replied, seemingly on instinct. He took two, attatching them neatly to the exterior, before clicking the switch. Alex hummed in approval, taking initiative to leave the pair left behind on the table. When he turned back, Thomas was glancing between him and their den with a slight smile. Almost distantly, he stated, "James and I used to make these all the time, back when we were kids."

The nostalgia in his voice was enough to bring Alex his own smile. "How long have you known him?"

"Since I was five, I think. My father never had much time for me, so he'd just send me to James's house and forget that he has a son for a while." Thomas shrugged, unperturbed. Almost as an afterthought, he aded, "I think the longest time he's left me there was two weeks and a half."

Alex wasn't particularly sure what to make of this, but Thomas's tone was fond, so he decided not to point out how unhealthy this seemed to be. "My mom was the opposite. She wouldn't let me out of her sight. Even if I was going over a friend's house, she'd insist on coming with me until she was sure that I was safe. It didn't make me particularly popular, but at least I knew my mom cared."

An easy silence settled between them, and Alex was content to let it fall. He glanced inside of the den, and when noticing that the floor was carpeted by a thick duvet, promptly decided that he was tired of standing. Alex was able to sit in an upright position, opting to lean his back against the back of the couch. After a second of hesitation, Thomas joined him, grumbling about the perceived unfairness of his height.

From his angle, Alex could see the flickering lights being reflected against Thomas, catching against his skin and painting hues of red, blue and green. His curls - usually so put together and strictly maintained - were ruffled and sporadically, Thomas would move to try and sort it out, only to no avail.

Alex had never taken the time to acknowledge it, but Thomas really was quite handsome. Especially when he looked so relaxed.

Thomas caught him staring and pointedly raised an eyebrow. Suddenly feeling caught, Alex cleared his throat, hoping that it was dim enough for his embarrassment to be hidden. "So, how'd you lose your car in a parking lot?"

Thomas sighed, suddenly world-weary and suffering. He lamented, "Too many people have black Sudans."

Alex frowned, unsure. "I thought you had a red car."

"Yes." Thomas easily agreed.

"Two cars?" Alex asked, incredulous, and he could hear a soft laugh at his frustrated disbelief. Alex ignored it in favor of being indignant at the lack of financial wisdom. " _Seriously_? You don't even need two cars."

"I have to find some way to let people know that I'm a rich asshole." Thomas said with false modesty and a slightly self-depreciating lift of his shoulders. Alex tried to say something in response, but he was struck by the sheer stupidity in Thomas's words that he paused, frowning slightly. Thomas huffed. "Don't look at me like that, I did nothing to warrent this response."

"How could you tell?" Alex immediately asked, raising an eyebrow. It was far too dark for him to be able to pick up on the finer expressions on Thomas's face, and he was relying purely on guesswork and Thomas's tone of voice.

"You're very easy to read." Thomas said in what Alex presumed was a shrug.

"Is that supposed to mean anything?" Alex tried to close his expression, but consciously hiding things from people had never been one of his strongest points.

"Hardly." Thomas stated. Then, as though sensing Alex's disbelief, he added, "It's just a change of pace. You wear everything on your sleeve - your opinions, your feelings. Most people have neutral or tired expressions, like Burr."

Alex frowned. "And you."

Thomas paused, before offering a soft agreement. "And me."

"I'm getting better at knowing what you're thinking." Alex decided firmly. Thomas shifted, and Alex could tell that his words were being closely examined. Surprisingly, he took time to think through what he was going to say, as he loathed the idea of ruining the casual easiness currently between them. "Your eyes say a lot about you."

"All good things, I hope." Thomas mused.

Akex huffed a slight laugh, pressing his back fully against the couch and allowing his eyes to shut slightly, completely at ease. His half-asleep state lowered his inhibitions. "You know, you can brighten up an entire room when you're happy."

There was another long pause, and a silence that was so still it seemed like Thomas had stopped breathing. When Alex risked a glance, Thomas was watching him intently, eyes focusing on his own. "You're a very strange man, Alexander Hamilton."

"I try." Alex replied.

The conversation was then steered from that subject to the next, from philosophical and serious to completely mundane and Alex found himself not wanting to remember a time before this, when he could barely be in the same room without his automatic reaction being so hostile.

Even when Thomas's breath slowly evened out, Alex continued to dwell on their advancement, and how far things had changed. The original plan was beginning to look like a distant, far-fetched memory; after their supposed break-up, it would be more realistic if he and Thomas suddenly went back to hating eachother, arguing loudly in hallways and viciously insulting the other out of spite.

It wasn't a particularly comfortable thought, but it was one Alex needed to confront sooner or later. 

With a sharp clarity, Alex realised that he wasn't willing to give any of this up, the bets and arrangements be damned. He wanted to have stupid, meaningless arguments with Thomas, he wanted to hold his hand, and talk to him late into midnight about everything and nothing. He wanted to build dens and watch movies together and finally  _kiss_  him just because he  _wanted_  to, without the notion that it was all for show.

He wanted an actual relationship and knew that it wasn't ever going to happen.

Alex suddenly felt uncomfortable, his chest simultaneously too light and weighed down by bricks. The next decision he needed to work on was what - if anything - he needed to do about it.

He was an adult, and logically, he knew that the most sensible idea was to tell Thomas about it, which would most likely result in both the termination of the plan and their developing friendship. Additionally, Alex had never been particularly fond of rejection, regardless of how open he was with his thoughts.

Another option was to completely ignore this. Alex was unfortunately capable enough to notice that this was what he had been doing beforehand, likely since the day Thomas had visited his and John's apartment, when Thomas had decided that Alex  _wasn't so bad_. The repression proved to be unhealthy, and meant that Alex was rather blindsided by this entire revelation, regardless of how obvious it had seemed in advance.

The final and most preferable option was to divulge in Hercules. Whilst Alex wasn't the epitome of mature decisions, purposeful ignorance was only going to damage him in the long run, and avoiding Thomas was completely out of the question. Hercules was trusted, unbiased, and despite the fact that he would likely tell Lafayette, both of them knew how to keep a secret.

With any form of luck, Alex would be over it soon enough.

By the time Alex woke once more, Thomas was nowhere in sight. He sighed, adjusting himself to a far more comfortable position, but when his limbs stubbornly refused to cooperate, he grudgingly allowed himself to fully wake up. The den itself was structurally sound, but regardless, Alex still tidied it up. His muscles were slightly stiff and his thoughts were running roughly four miles per hour, but he was standing, which was good enough.

Once he felt human enough, he carefully walked towards the kitchen, where he could hear an indistinct murmur of voices. The door was open, but instead of walking in, Alex stood back to watch the scene. Thomas was leaning against a counter, completely at ease, and the only one to notice his arrival. He raised his mug in mock salute and Alex smiled back in respose.

Predictably, John and Lafayette were both alarming messes. Neither seemed human before coffee - or, in John's disturbing and frankly sociopathic case,  _leaf water_  - and this was promptly highlighted.

Currently, Hercules was watching on in horror as Lafayette argued with John about different brands of beans. John huffed, exasperated. "It doesn't matter, I don't think you can put metal in a microwave." There was a rather unpromising hesitancy. "Either that, or plastic."

Thomas glanced at Alex before answering. "I think it might be plastic."

Hercules looked done with their collective stupidity. He stared up at the ceiling, evidently looking for divine intervention, but when none became apparent, he sighed. "Maybe if all of you combine forces you can actually form  _one_   _whole brain cell_."

Both Lafayette and John made noises of outraged indignation, whereas Thomas just smirked, sipping his coffee, completely unrepentant. John sharply turned to face Thomas, deeply offended. "What type of person are you, to mislead me so cruelly?" 

"You know when you have a really stupid, impulsive idea?" Thomas asked. John paused, and cautiously nodded once. "I'm the person who tells you to do it while holding up a camera."

"Oh, so you're a bad friend." John said in a sudden epiphany.

Thomas looked at him in faux disdane. "I never said I was your friend."

Alex laughed, promptly revealing his existance to Lafayette, Hercules and John. Thomas smiled to himself, pleased with having accomplished something, but before Alex could figure out what, Lafayette cut in smugly, "I told you he was awake. But  _non_ , John Laurens knows best."

"When is Madison picking you up?" Alex asked, crossing the room to lean besides Thomas, who shifted to accommodate the movement. "I assume he's going to drag this out as long as possible."

"Of course he is." Thomas agreed, wordlessly passing his phone for Alex to read how Madison had responded. Most of these words contrasted to meaningfully vague to excruciatingly detailed threats and cursing. "He thinks he actually has a chance in a fight against me, when we both know that if he lands a hit he'd feel too guilty to make eye contact with anyone for the rest of the month."

"What should we do, then?" Alex replied. "I'm so damn bored."

"Poor you." Thomas said, sounding very, very unsympathetic.

"I'm going to beat the living shit out of our supposed  _ami_  in Mortal Kombat." Lafayette answered Alex's question. John scoffed, throwing his hands up, but Lafayette cut him off with a terse, "Be here or be queer."

"What if I'm both?" John wondered outloud. Lafayette shot him an ugly look that Hercules grinned at.

"Just let it happen, John." Hercules shrugged. "It's inevitable."

John petuantly grumbled under his breath but allowed himself to be dragged into the living room by Lafayette, and was soon followed by Hercules. Alex glanced at Thomas. "I assume you haven't had breakfast."

"You would assume correctly." Thomas agreed, moving out of Alex's way so that he could reach the various crockery.

Alex picked two bowls, balancing them before placing them down. He gave Thomas a wry look. "I'm afraid cereal is the only option on the table, since I can't make anything else without setting fire to it."

"Disappointing, yet unsurprising." Thomas sighed. "I'm suffering, Alex, have pity on me."

"No." Alex replied breezily. He was able to prepare a thankfully nonflammable breakfast with minimal complaints (and, afterwards, a surprisingly sincere thank you). The topic mostly stayed around where Madison was, and when he was going to help Thomas retrieve his car.

It was as though they had done this countless times before, exchanging comments and wry remarks as easily as breathing.

With a distant clarity, Alex realised that he could easily spend most of his time like this; the discussion light-hearted and flowing steadily. Thomas's words were calm and his voice was pleasant to listen to. In return, Alex avoided any topics he knew they disagreed with, feeling a need to hold onto the casual, domestic simplicity of their conversation.

For the first time in what felt like months, he was grounded, focussing on the way the sunlight caught onto the amber of Thomas's eyes, and how his entire appearance seemed appealingly softened from sleep.

Every now and then, he caught himself staring, just admiring the way Thomas had seemlessly fit into his surroundings. Each time something like this would happen, Alex would snap his gaze back to something more neutral, and push the question of how Thomas's lips would feel against his far out of his mind.

"You seem distracted." Thomas mused, though he didn't sound too bothered, just merely making a statement. Alex lifted his shoulders slightly, indicting a shrug.

"I guess I'm just tired." Alex said. Thomas, for a moment, appeared to be sceptical of what Alex had stated, but this was soon dismissed and Thomas seemed to accept this as truth.

The rest of the morning passed with minimal mistakes on Alex's behalf; he was able to rein himself in enough to firmly limit more unrealistic and flighty impulses. After all, at the end of this week, everything would be over, and the entire world would right itself again.

Yet again, this caused something to shift, settled, deep and low in his chest. The thought was bordering on physical pain but Alex seemed to rekindle a masochistic streak; he kept himself cheerfully occupied with imagining things going back the way they had been.

Back when there had been an awkward silence that Alex tried to break and Thomas refused to engage. Back when arguments evolved more into bitter fights, and when Thomas was quite distinctively  _Jefferson_.

Once more, he was reminded of the decision he made last night - to inform Hercules of what was mostly going on, leaving out the manufactured deal. The moment Thomas left (giving Alex what seemed to be a rather concerned look), this was exactly what he did. He asked Hercules to give him some form of advice, without an audience.

Lafayette nodded once, already seeming to know what was happening. John, however, had several moments of hesitstion, and the sharp look thar Lafayette sent him in response was more than enough to give him motivation.

"What's going on?" Hercules questioned, passing no judgment, and for that, Alex was grateful. After a quick glance at the door, Alex sighed, shifting his weight.

"How do I get over someone?" Alex asked in response, arms crossing. He could barely look Hercules in the eye, a steady, embarrased flush lighting up his face.

"Thomas, right?" Hercules hazarded a guess. Alex's expression must have given some indication, as Hercules nodded. "I don't think you need to. When you were still sleeping, all he could talk about was you and your shitty den making skills."

This wasn't particularly helpful. Since the beginnig, Thomas seemed adept at lying and had expressed his willingness to do so more than once. It would make sense for Thomas to emphasize his supposed affection by mimicking any signs of interest.

Alex couldn't exactly explain this to Hercules, but thankfully, he didn't have to. "Look, Alex, I know that you like him. And from what I know of Thomas, he likes you, too."

At this point, to make conversation continue would only be redundant. Alex nodded once, indicating that Hercules had been heard, and Hercules sighed, knowing that being heard and being listened to where differing things.

 

**

 

Four days passed with little to no excitement. Alex was simultaneously fixating on his love life - or lack thereof - and attempting to ignore it, trying to disregard how much he wanted to walk into Thomas's office and kiss him, just because he could.

It didn't help that James Madison sightings were becoming more and more frequent. Instead of the stilted half-acquaintance half-friend thing they had successfully achieved, Madison was now acting considerably warmer to him, smiling at him in corridors.

It was likely due to their plan coming into fruition in three days.

Alex supposed that, at this point, procrastination was the way forward. He would have two weeks or so of pretending to date Thomas - and find as many reasons as possible why he shouldn't date him, because so far, Alex only had two - and then they would 'break up'.

Though, occasionally, Thomas would drop by and quickly give Alex a smirk that he tried to tell himself was not endearing. In addition to the audden addition of interaction with Madison, Lafayette was acting damn near unbearable.

In this particular day, Alex was greeted by Thomas, who was carrying two paper cups of coffee from a brand he didn't even recognise. With a smile, he placed one on Alex's desk, then drawled, "Three days, my dearest Alexander."

As stupid as it was, these words sent a flood of sparks through his veins. He distracted himself by holding onto the cup, giving Thomas a grateful look. He leant back on his chair, evaluating.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Alex asked.

"I'm bored." Thomas replied, shrugging, but there was something in his voice that Alex couldn't quite recognise, indicating that Thomas was attempting to hide something. Judging by Thomas's expression, he was well aware of what Alex had worked out, but he distinctively did not want Alex to ask about it.

For a moment, Alex hesitated, before deciding that his curiosity wasn't worth any sort of fallout.

His brief pause didn't seem to be noted. Thomas continued to lament about his apparent lack of any interesting activity. There was something oddly amusing about Thomas dropping his distant, untouched facade and act with exaggerated melodrama.

"Stop smiling at my misery." Thomas scowled, despite the fact that his expression seemed distinctively pleased at having made Alex grin. He wasn't sure what to make of this, or find out why Thomas seemed so invested in his happiness, but it made his chest feel lighter.

"You don't tell me what to do." Alex scowled, which garnered a rather deadpanned look.

"I just did." Thomas shrugged, uncaring at Alex's mock indignance. The conversation continued, Thomas becoming increasingly sarcastic and Alex was slowly beginning to lose composure and laugh slightly. Whenever he showed any positive response, Thomas's eyes lit up, and he would push towards getting a similar response.

It was when Alex was able to garner a gentle, happy smile from Thomas that he could feel his restraint begin to crack.

The build up of longing combined with curiosity had Alex forgetting the reasons why he shouldn't be doing this; he had moved forward, close enough to sense how warm Thomas felt, before leaning up and capturing his lips into a kiss.

It was the lightest of touches, barely even there, but Alex could feel Thomas's lips against his own, smooth and soft and perfect. There was no premeditated motive behind it, just a desperate want for the domesticity between them to last.

The moment couldn't have lasted for more than a second but it was long enough for some part of logic to catch up and he quickly stepped back, eyes wide.

Thomas was equally shocked, with his cheeks flushed and looking overall dazed. His fingertips brushed across his lips, bewildered. "What was that?"

Alex would've answered - the look of pure confusion was slowly easing into hurt and something in Alex ached because he caused it - but he didn't have an answer. The choice he had made was little more than an impulse but he couldn't explain it to Thomas.

"Um, I can come back later." A voice cautiously offered. Alex startled, turning quickly to notice a rather uncomfortable looking Aaron Burr. Burr offered a slight smile, but had obviously picked up on the tension.

"Oh." Thomas said softly, glancing between Alex and Burr with a solemn expression of understanding. Alex shifted his weight between his feet, moving back slightly. Burr awkwardly cleared his throat, backing away.

As soon as Alex was sure that Burr was out of earshot and his voice would sound relatively even, he said, "I know I should've asked-"

"It's fine." Thomas stated shortly, offering a slight smile that didn't reach his eyes. Alex strained to keep his expression neutral but Thomas must've sensed his distrust. "Burr was there, it was opportunistic."

"It isn't fine." Alex insisted, because it  _wasn't_.

Thomas sighed, eyes firm and he thinned his lips. Rather strictly, he said, "If you asked, I would've let you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alex asked. The conversation, and the way it was going, felt far too dangerous, but Alex didn't pause, even when Thomas narrowed his eyes, tense and agitated.

"Alex, drop it." Thomas replied firmly, and his tone brokered no room for protest. Alex automatically grimaced at the harshness of his words.

"Okay." Alex replied, feeling a flash of guilt at how relieved Thomas looked. "I'm still sorry."

Thomas rolled his eyes, but the thinly veiled hurt - whilst certainly still there - was ebbing away into a slightly fond amusement. "Stop saying sorry."

"Okay, sorry." Alex said, then noticed what he had done, and winced. "Sorry."

"You're a human disaster." Thomas decided, shaking his head. Alex didn't even pretend to be indignant, since Thomas's point was certainly well founded. The awkwardness beforehand had somewhat eased but Alex could still feel it, shifting between each sentence or pause. It was a goddamn miracle for Burr to appear when he did, and Alex wasn't going to correct Thomas's assumption of his supposed innocence.

The conversation felt stilted - at least, on Alex's behalf, since Thomas seemed content to block this entire situation from his memory. Eventually, it got to the point that Alex couldn't even hold a dialogue, completely preoccupied with how he fucked up, and rhapsodizing the numerous ways this would come back and bite him. Thomas seemed to take pity on him and left, still appearing bewildered, but Alex couldn't quite tell; all of the signs and tells that Thomas had were suddenly closed off and his expression was impassive.

Alex got the distinct feeling that he had really, _really_ messed up and spent a full hour agonizing over what was going to happen next because of his stupidity. Normally, he would just tell the truth; this was the easiest way to clear the air, as well as protect himself from any lies catching up with him.

Though, he wasn't a goddamn idiot, and coming forward with _why_ he had done that was as good as signing his own death warrent. Not only would he get pity from his friends and Madison would likely hold a vendeta against him for the rest of his mortal life, but Thomas would _hate_ him.

"Aaron said he thinks you're dying." Hercules said, snapping him out of his thoughts and throwing him into the present. Alex sighed, because Burr might seem to be quiet and scholarly, but he knew how to talk to people who would spread word quickly. "Want to talk about it?"

"No." Alex immediately said. "Yes. I don't know."

"Join the club." Hercules replied, shrugging slightly. "Nobody knows what they're doing, so if that helps you find comfort in whatever's happened now..."

"It doesn't." Alex answered, but his mood was lightening a bit more the longer Hercules talked to him. "Did Burr tell you why I was dying?"

Hercules paused, evidently deciding what his answer was going to be before he nodded curtly. "Yeah, but you know how rumours are. They grow and grow until they look nothing like the truth."

"I kissed Thomas." Alex said bluntly, before flinching at his own words. It was true, but saying this brought back how goddamn hurt Thomas looked after, and then how his expression had changed into something completely unreadable and it felt as though Alex was back to square one, trying to start a coversation with a complete stranger.

"Okay." Hercules was calm, devoid of any kind of judgement. At least he didn't look surprised, which indicated that Burr was very strict with honesty.

"That's it, really." Alex said. Hercules looked slightly confused at this, so Alex elaborated. "I did it because I wanted to, and Thomas thought it was because of - a different reason, and he hates me now."

"How are you going to fix this?" Hercules asked, direct, and Alex gave a conflicted sigh. He looked at Hercules imploring, but only recieved a slight frown. "It isn't my relationship, so it isn't my place to make judgements."

"Off the record then, if you had to make a judgement." Alex pressed, causing Hercules to look at him pointedly. Alex ignored it, continuing. "Or, at least, if you were in my situation?"

"I assume you've apologized-"

"Of course I have!" Alex interrupted firmly, offended.

"-but you haven't explained the real reason why you've done it. Which some people might not classify as a real apology." Hercules said, ignoring both Alex's interruption and his horrified look at being given his advice. "Again, take my words with a grain of salt. I'm not you, and I'm certainly not Thomas."

"Thanks." Alex replied, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was more than a little reluctant to say why he had acted so damn stupidly, but it unfortunately seemed like the only way forward. Hercules, at least, seemed empathetic.

"It's certainly a situation, but ignoring it will make it worse." Hercules pointed out, which Alex was well aware of. This didn't help. "Though, you might want time to plan this. Grandiose love declarations need to be done with eloquence."

" _Not_ helpful." Alex gritted out, glowering. Hercules tried not to grin, but completely failed. "I will actually break into your house and place lego on the floor."

"That's a little too far, Alex." Hercules said, raising his hands in mock defense. "I'm okay with murder, or even replacing all of my books with dystopian young adult novels, but that is too far."

"Just watch yourself." Alex threatened, not totally sure of he was joking or fully intended to carry out his threat. Hercules backed out.

"Just a heads up." Hercules warned. "I don't think you should panic, but James doesn't look too happy, and he's walking straight at us."

Alex could feel the blood drain from his face. Hercules offered a supportive smile, but despite his supposed encouragement, he stepped back and allowed Madison to enter. Alex cleared his throat, standing up.

"Okay, what is going on?" Madison asked. "Thomas hasn't told me shit, and all Charles Lee can talk about is how poor Burr walked in on you two fu-"

"That is _not_ what happened!" Alex protested, face flushing in embarrassment. Madison looked as though he was about to roll his eyes.

" _Obviously not,_ but _hey_ , I had to hear that from _Charles Lee_. Nobody should suffer like that." Madison hissed. "I have faced all the traumas known to man. Explain youself, please, Alexander."

"It was an accident." Alex struggled to explain, words rushed. "I didn't exactly mean to kiss him - well I _did_ \- but that's not the point."

This was apparently the wrong thing to say as Madison's eyes narrowed into thin slits. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know!" Alex said, throwing his hands up in frustration. "Is that what you want me to say? I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Then work it out." Madison replied firmly. A pause settled alongsides them, uncomfortable and irritating.

"Who even started those bets?" Alex wondered out loud, agitated beyond words and he sighed heavily, leaning back. Madison smiled wryly.

"The bet doesn't matter." He said. "What matters is you sorting things out with Thomas, without making a blunder out of it."

"That's easier said than done." Alex muttered under his breath, but quickly backtracked when Madison sent him a look that was sharp enough to cut glass. "I've _really_ fucked up."

It appeared that Madison's rage had finally cooled over and his sigh was heavy and tired. "Look, not trying to do anything will only make it worse. Trust me. You'll regret it later if you don't fix it."

"I'll try." Alex promised. He didn't particularly know where to start, vut he was still going to do it. Just - after careful planning, assessment, and asking for advice from every single trusted source. Madison nodded importantly, and for some reason, seemed to take Alex on face value.

"Look, just be careful." Madison implored, making direct eye contact and Alex immediately tried to shrink away. "Thomas does... care about you. You're friends, and if not that, then you're friendly."

"We're friends." Alex muttered.

"Good." Madison replied. He offered a small, brief smile that Alex wasn't entirely sure was genuine, but he couldn't ask Madison as he was walking away.

It was immediately reaffirmed that Alex was out of his depth.

 

 

**

 

 

The day was spent entirely in procrastination and avoidance, and then the day after that. Alex couldn't quite meet the eyes of Madison or Hercules, knowing that whilst he certainly had a deadline, he didn't have the time to adequetly plan and execute a plan that wouldn't upset Thomas and make things worse.

Alex wouldn't go out of his way to avoid Thomas, but due to his lack of time awareness, he lost track of _everything_ \- of the bet, of how long he had been avoiding this issue - to the point where he was quite surprised when Thomas approached them, expression grim.

"Today is the day." Thomas opened in lieu of greeting.

"You're kidding." Alex said flatly, and Alex was lucky to be given a quick smile, one that could barely be defined as such, but it was the first positive contact that he had with Thomas in two days. "Where the hell did those two months go?"

"Completely down the drain." Thomas answered brusquely. "How do you want to do this?"

"What would be the most realistic situation?" Alex asked, crossing his arms. Thomas frowned slightly, a considering expression crossing, but didn't answer for a few moments, so Alex offered up a scenario. "Maybe during an argument? I don't know."

"We haven't argued in a long time, Alex." Thomas replied. "Sure, we disagree, but we don't _argue_ like we used to."

"I'm glad it's like this." Alex said quietly, glancing down at the floor and avoiding the change in expression. As soon as he spoke, he wanted to take his words back, regardless of how truthful it was.

"You keep on saying these things-" Thomas's voice was sharp, conflicted, but he cut himself off, taking a half-step back and shaking his head. He sighed heavily. "That's not important. We need to sort this out, the sooner the better. James wants to know about our plans so he can help accommodate us."

"Have you got any ideas?"

"One or two." Thomas answered. "Most of which involve brazen declarations of love and the decision to absconded to a rural part of Wales. That, or Argentina."

For a moment, Thomas looked deeply in thought, likely exploring the positives and drawbacks of each place. Alex bit back a smile. "It doesn't really matter what path we choose, we'd make it work."

"Even if we set the office on fire?" Thomas questioned.

"That's not a bad idea." Alex mused.

"If we do enough telling things, then tell Lafayette..." He paused for several seconds, likely for dramatic affect. "By the end of the day, James will get the money and we'll work out what to do next."

"What do you mean by _telling things_?" Alex repeated. Thomas pointedly raised an eyebrow, one that indicated Alex should use his imagination. "I mean - um..."

Alex trailed off rather helplessly. Granted, he certainly _did_ want to kiss Thomas. However, his definite apprehension was around the fact that Thomas didn't want to.

Thomas misread this. "If you're not comfortable with this-"

"No, I'm fine with it." Alex replied quickly, far too hasty. He tried to backtrack, and cleared his throat awkwardly. "More than fine. It's great. I'm all for this."

"For some reason, I'm not quite convinced." Thomas huffed, abruptly frustrated. "I meant it, Alex. Don't agree because you don't want to seem like a coward, or out of some sort of obligation. For the both of us, just don't do this a way you'll regret."

"I'm full of regrets, Thomas, but I know that this won't be one of them." Alex said. Thomas glanced at him, slightly sharp, almost in challenge.

"I'm going to tell James to take Lee and Burr to church or lunch or something. Wherever they commune to complete usual satanic rituals. They're going to take the most direct route, which will lead besides your office. You have about an hour to decide whether or not you want to do this."

Alex knew immediately that his resolve was very, very weak. Instead of even bothering to pretend to put some sort of effort into making the choice, Alex knew immediately that he was going to show up. It was stupid and reckless and would likely damage him in the long run, but Alex reasoned that he was already going to hell and might as well have a memory worth keeping.

The next few hours past slowly. He was impatient, eager to get the plan over and done with, and finally finish what had taken two months to set up. Simultaneously, Alex didn't want this to end. He had already established the affection he had for Thomas and how not only would Thomas never return it, but would never know. There was a certain safety in remaining silent, and though Alex couldn't be described as anxious, he was certainly worried about messing things up beyond repair.

Instead, he remained quiet, continuing to write and then edit his work, adamantly hoping that his efforts didn't look as half-hearted as they felt. It wasn't productive, but it was better than brooding until Thomas returned.

The small saving point was the fact that he had just about completed his course load for the month but he still didn't feel comfortable with handing it in, as the vast majority of text was written when he had been distracted.

By the time the hours slugged by - five minutes before Lee and Burr were due - Alex exited his office with butterflies in his stomach. He kept a pen in his hand, clicking and clicking for something to keep himself busy with.

"I expected you to bail." Thomas drawled, and though his voice was laced with a forced indifference, Alex could hear the surprise. "Again, you don't have to."

"Nor do you." Alex pointed out.

"I know." Thomas said. "Meaningless things like this don't bother me."

Something, like a cool shard of ice, lodged itself in his throat, but Alex was proud of the way his expression barely changed. He forced an impassive countenance into his words. "Okay, so we're doing this."

"Just let me lead." Thomas said. Alex narrowed his eyes, about to contridict, but caught himself quickly enough to understand that this was an activity Thomas didn't want to do this, and supposed that doing things on his terms was reasonable.

Thomas pushed against his chest lightly, and it took a moment or so for Alex's brain to stop focusing on how his hand felt against him and get the message to move until he was backed against a wall.

At this, Thomas hesitated. He kept his hands resting against Alex's shoulders, chest just barely against his. It was exhilarating and so damn _painful_ , because Alex knew that the pause was due to a deeply rooted reluctance. Quietly, Alex said, "Pretend I'm someone else."

Thomas still waited for a moment, seemingly checking if Alex was serious. Then, after seemingly arriving at a decision, he tilted Alex's chin so that Alex would have no choice but to make eye contact.

Alex quickly scanned the expression he was given, but wasn't able to think properly with how close Thomas was to him. Instead, he merely projected his own feelings of silent longing. Then, Thomas brushed his lips against Alex's.

It was like the kiss that Alex had stolen; gentle and sweet and with a great deal of caution. Alex gave a small hum of approval, letting Thomas know that he was willing to continue. As expected, Thomas gradually became braver, pressing Alex flush against the wall and kissing him deeper.

Alex shivered beneath his touch, gaining a hold on his waist and attempting not to melt under the warm attention. He was damned, and couldn't even bring himself to care.

For a moment, Alex allowed himself to retreat into his senses, forgetting how he knew that Thomas was thinking of someone else, of how this was all fake and would be over within a week. He put as much as he could into the kiss, committing each detail to memory as it would be the last time.

"Now that's an image you can't bleach out of your head." A voice dryly observed. Alex didn't even need to fake being startled. He moved back as far as he could - which wasn't at all far, considering the fact that he was already against a wall. Madison somehow looked both surprised and understanding. Burr was at a loss for words, having walked in upon an occurrence like this twice, and Lee merely looked anguished. "Please, get a room. Literally any room. Hell, take mine."

"Shove a cactus up your ass, Charles." Thomas replied breezily.

Lee leered. "I'd rather have a cactus up my ass than have Hamilton's-"

Burr made a mortified choking noise which thankfully drowned out the rest of that sentence. Madison simply looked tired, and Thomas seemed vaguely amused, knowing that Alex would snap back. "As if I would bestow the honor on you."

"Honor." Thomas and Lee said in unison, equally unimpressed. Alex shrugged, uncaring, but at least he managed to gain a smile from Thomas.

"Please." Burr began before evaluating the rest of his sentence and cutting himself off, before starting again. " _Please_ tell me what is going on. I'm - James, _help_ me. I've been traumatized. Public displays of affection terrorize me."

Madison seemed reluctant, but Alex was more than willing to help him out. "We're fu-"

"Dating." Thomas interrupted sharply, glaring at Alex, though despite his front of distaste, Alex could see the corner of his lips tilt up into a scarcely pronounced smile.

"Told you!" Madison replied happily.

Lee groaned. "This is the worst day of my life. Someone get the others together, there'll only be three happy people in the office building."

Lee and Burr grudgingly dispersed, both muttering under their breath. Madison, however, beamed at them. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two weren't acting."

Alex winced, but quickly covered up his reaction and didn't notice Thomas do the same. Alex glanced down, flushing, before clearing his throat. "Two months of planning is finally over."

Madison grinned. "Two months is nothing, trust me."

"I'm pretty sure James is a serial killer." Thomas said. "It'd explain why he's scarily patient."

"There's nothing scary about me." James frowned, and a few months back, before any of this happened, Alex would have agreed. "I'm completely innocent and loveable."

"Nobody here believes that, James." Thomas replied evenly. " _Nobody_."

"You and Alexander know better." James mused. "But nobody else does. It's why I used this to my advantage. Oh, and I think we should stop discussing plans, as there is a hoard of people that will soon be several dollars shortet than beforehand."

"One week, Alexander!" Lafayette exclaimed, sounding deeply dismayed. "One week, and I would have had one and a half thousand American dollars! I could by croutons with that money! A _lot_ of croutons!"

"What he means to say is, we're happy for you." Hercules interrupted, giving Lafayette an amused but slightly disapproving look.

Lafayette quickly added, "But we would've been happier with the money."

"Took you two long enough!" Angelica called, grinning happily even as she handed over twenty dollars to a rather happy looking Madison. "I suppose you wouldn't be too bothered to buy me dinner, James?"

"I'm buying a wheelbarrow." Madison said firmly, moving backwards. "And _nobody_ can stop me."

Peggy raised a manicured eyebrow. "What type of wheelbarrow costs one thousand and five hundred dollars?"

"The type of wheelbarrow that you can't afford." Madison replied. Peggy, surprisingly, didn't declare Madison's death sentence, but laughed. He tucked the collected money away with a pleased smile. "And the rest is in my office."

The crowd slowly walked away, lamenting how Alex could've been a few days earily or later. Thomas watched them go, slightly befuddled. "So, it's over."

"Not even close!" Madison merrily declared. "You two need to sort out your shit. Arrange a happy relationship, go on a few dates, maybe have a tragic and dramatic break up four months later. Or just stay together, and revel in the frustration of your colleagues. I would highly recommend the latter."

"Thanks for the advice, I won't follow it." Thomas said. "How about two months, and then an argument?"

"I don't know." Alex replied honestly. Madison nodded, as though this was the response he had expected. "I don't know how to fake break up with a fake significant other. This is all very, very new to me."

"Trust me, this isn't exactly an average day in my life." Thomas added.

"It is for me." Madison stated, and gave no further explanation. "Just let things go naturally for now, you can sort it out later."

"Maybe we should wait until they make bets for when we break up." Alex muttered. Madison raised his eyebrows, evidently doubtful for this plan, whereas Thomas scowled, seeming vaguely affronted. "Though, at the same time, it'd be difficult for James to explain how he won twice in a row."

"You have little stock in my abilities." Madison sighed, shaking his head. "Though, I don't think people will be waiting for you two to break up. We've all been waiting years for this shit to happen, so everyone's invested. Even Lee, for all his complaining."

"That's their own fault, we didn't ask them to bet on us." Thomas argued.

"This is the hand you've been dealt, so all of this is up to the both of you." Madison retorted. He crossed his arms, expression lightening for a split second as he glanced between Alex and Thomas. Rather innocently, "I guess you'll have to stay together for the rest of your human lives."

"Very funny, James." Thomas deadpanned. Alex would have added his own retort if he wasn't so sure the innocent remark was directed at him. He wasn't sure what Madison was planning, whether to help him out or draw an uncomfortable amount of attention to him and his feelings.

"It's one solution you haven't thought of." Madison said, though his tone was less directed at Alex and more for both of them. "Don't look at me like that, Thomas. It's an answer - not necessarily one you seem particularly for right now."

"I wonder why." Thomas asked out loud. "I'm not exactly going to look forward to having someone put up with my existence instead of - I don't know - actually liking me."

"I don't like you, and you're still my friend." Madison pointed out.

Thomas paused for a moment to merely look at Madison, which was more than enough to express just how unimpressive his words seemed to be. "Shut up, James, I'm your best friend."

"You got me there." Madison sighed, before glancing between them once more. He moved back slightly. "I'm going to sort out our shares, so you two can sort out whatever the hell you want to do about this _fake_ relationship."

"How is he your friend?" Alex wondered out loud, watching Madison leave. "He's evil."

"My habits caught up to him." Thomas answered blandly. Alex glanced at him, slightly concerned, but Thomas didn't meet his eyes. "We should split up for now. It'd be easier to come up with separate ideas."

Alex would've disagreed, and pressed until he learned why Thomas was suddenly acting so evasive, but Alex also wanted time alone to process all of the things that had just happened, and make a plan of how to continue forward in the most subtle way possible. "Sure. I'll see you later, then."

As soon as he stepped into his office, he carefully discarded his blazer, hesitated for a moment, then sorted out his hair. He adjusted his appearence to look less dishevelled, and as soon as he was content with his efforts, he stepped back, gently closed his door and loudly, yet filled with conviction, declared, " _Fuck_."

Alex was not sure what he should do next.

He hadn't planned anything, let alone this far ahead. People were difficult to predict when he didn't know them or if they - like Thomas - were naturally capricious and seemed to have no planning whatsoever behind each action. Though, Alex certainly should have guessed Thomas's adamant distaste towards maintaining whatever this was, but he was still caught off guard.

Hope was an incredibly ridiculous thing. Alex shook his head, trying to dislodge that thought. There was no point in reflection on a single moment; he needed to think ahead, regardless of how fucked he was. He was sure he could salvage something in this, regardless of how small.

Once again, he considered divulging in Hercules, before catching up with that idea and reminding himself that there was no way in hell it would work as he wasn't aware of the plan that he and Thomas had made. Madison was the second option, but he would either abstain from giving advice or tell him to tell Thomas, and that was not something he was willing to do.

Alex supposed that the small silver lining in this was that the awkwardness beforehand was mostly gone, washed away by planning and schemes and actions.

Maybe Alex could separate himself from the situation, and keep up an unaffected facade. Though, at the same time, he had always been open with his thoughts and a lifetime of habit wouldn't suddenly shift to accommodate him.

The next best option was to end this, and _quickly_. Although it wasn't a particularly pleasant idea, Alex knew that it was the best one he had so far. They could use the reason of distance, and that Alex had been far too invested in his work. It wasn't particularly truthful - despite the fact that Alex was certainly work motivated, he had still made time for Thomas, which meant his friends would be suspicious at this reasoning.

Another option was to say that it simply didn't work. This was more realistic, as well as far more painful. Part of him bolted against the idea, but he pointedly reminded himself that he wasn't in the position to hesitate.

Contradictory to his statement, he still paused, cautious. He had already resigned himself to the loss of their supposed relationship and the intimacy that came with it, but he was still stuck firmly against ending the easiness of their conversations.

The issue was, Alex wasn't able to pick up on how Thomas felt about this, which meant he was going to have to find out. He couldn't force a friendship on someone who didn't like him. So, instead of heading directly to Thomas and putting him under questioning, Alex walked towards Madison's office, knocking the door before deciding to enter.

"Alexander." Madison greeted without looking up. "I would ask you why you're here, but that would be redundant."

"Great." Alex said.

"What's going on with you two?" Madison asked, finally glancing up at Alex, and looking earnestly bewildered. "One moment you hate eachother, the next moment you're best friends, and now, Thomas is suddenly keeping me out of the loop with no explanation whatsoever."

"I don't know either." Alex muttered.

Madison seemed empathetic. He gestured for Alex to sit down, fingers intertwining to form a bridge on which he rested his chin. "That makes two of us, Alex. I hold some information, and you hold the rest. We could probably piece this together, if we tried."

"I thought you would just tell me to talk to Thomas." Alex frowned, mildly surprised.

"That's simply not productive - at least, not yet." Madison hummed thoughtfully. He offered a slight smile. "He's as emotionally constipated as you are, so a conversation right now, when neither of you know how to approach one, will be counterproductive."

"So, what do you know?" Alex asked, then grimaced at how vague the question was.

Madison noticed this too, as well as Alex's growing trepidation, and grined. "Well, houseflies hum in the key of F."

"Shit, really?" Alex raised his eyebrows, surprised. Madison looked at him, vaguely offended that Alex would question his sincerity. "James, that's kind of cool, but you know that's not what I meant."

"I did." Madison conceded, crossing his arms and raising a pointed eyebrow. He gave Alex a considering look. "It _does_ depend on where you want to start."

Alex exhaled forcefully, unsure. "I guess when he stopped confiding in you."

"You're going to have to deal with me complaining a lot, and inserting my opinions about literally everything." Madison warned, but when Alex didn't seem remotely phased, he gave a curt nod, and started to talk.

Together, they were able to place together the sudden distance between both of them and Thomas around the same time that Alex had first kissed him, and Madison was able to magnanimously ignore his embarrassment and having to repeat his stupidity.

Madison did, however, seem startled at Thomas's percieved indifference towards kissing Alex, and dryly informed him that Thomas was in his office an hour beforehand, ' _completely losing his shit_ ', which in turn surprised Alex. He wasn't particularly sure what to make of this, and Madison remained quiet about his opinion.

By the time two hours had passed, whilst Alex certainly knew more with Madison filling in the blanks, but was still stuck on certain details that both seemed to agree only Thomas could fill in.

"He's stubborn." Madison shook his head. "He won't want to meet up and talk like a rational human being until he's got everything sorted out."

"Then, what do I do?" Alex asked

"Unfortunately, I have no idea." Madison said, giving a slight shrug. Alex frowned, not quite believing him, which caused Madison to hastily ammend. "Well, I do, but I don't think it's ethical to say what I think you should do. It's your mess, after all."

"Great, you sound just like Hercules." Alex said.

"If two people are saying the same thing..." Madison trailed off, giving a wry smile that Alex didn't return. "I'll help as much as I can, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm not giving direct advice. Just remember that."

"I'll see what I can do, but I make no promises." Alex replied ruefully.

"To be expected." Madison replied easily. "If he's an asshole about it, just tell me. He's my friend, but so are you."

"We're friends?" Alex asked sharply. Madison paused, obviously surprised, but Alex grinned. "That's the best news I've recieved in a while."

"Just don't be stupid."

 

 

**

 

 

 _Trying his best_ was easier said than done. Alex was left pacing up and down the corridor, occasionally halting, steeling himself to prepare to enter Thomas's office, but completely lose his nerve last second and resume pacing.

Halfway through his pacing, he had gained something of an audience. Peggy was joined with Madison - who appeared to have nothing better to do than watch Alex's suffering. Both were talking to eachother, equally amused, and sporadically gave rather useless advice that Alex refused to listen to.

After several minutes of awkwardly walking up and down, Thomas opened his office door.

"Okay, that's the ninth time you've done this, what the fuck are you doing?" Thomas asked. Peggy started cackling, clapping her hands together, delighted at Alex's misfortune. Madison quickly hushed her, seemingly invested in his response.

"Excersize?" Alex offered. Thomas merely looked at him. "Maybe not."

"Come on, Peggy, we're intimidating them." Madison muttered, gesturing to the inside of his office as an obvious indication that they should probably leave Alex be. Peggy readily agreed, but made no move to actually step back.

Thomas just sighed, long suffering, and  held open the door to his office. Wordlessly, Alex entered, but was very much aware of the fact that as soon as the door closed, Peggy and Madison would immediately approach and strain to listen.

"What is this actually about?" Thomas questioned as soon as he closed the door, voice lowered so that it would be more difficult to be overheard. "Have you had any ideas, or-"

"You aren't talking to James any more." Alex interrupted. Thomas didn't look surprised. He nodded once, acknowledging that Alex had been heard whilst leaning back so that he was partially resting against his desk. He fixed Alex an unreadable look, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm talking to James." Thomas contended flatly. For a second, he glanced fully at Alex - actually looking at him instead of someplace else - and continued. "I'm allowed to keep things to myself."

"I never said you weren't." Alex replied a little firmer than expected, before backtracking. He didn't enter Thomas's office to look for some sort of argument, but this was quickly where the conversation was going, and Alex was more than aware that it fell to him to sort it out. He sighed, sounding slightly more defeated than he intended to, which meant he was almost immediately pinned under Thomas's stare.

"You're upset with something." He observed, and in any other situation, an obvious statement like that wiuld garner a laugh or some teasing. Instead, Alex's frown deepened.

"I'm not sure if I am." Alex replied. Thomas tilted his head slightly, intrigue peeking through the cracks of a distant mask. "Why aren't you talking to James?"

"Why aren't you sure about how you feel?" Thomas immediately retorted. Alex raised an eyebrow, making a mental note to remember the fact that the one thing that broke through Thomas's stubbornness was curiosity.

"Quid pro quo?" Alex offered.

Thomas nodded once. He seemed to be deep in thought, the only change in his expression being the furrowing brows. Carefully, he said, "There are few things that I don't trust James with, but unfortunately this is one of them."

"Evasive." Alex noted, rather unimpressed. Thomas didn't react to this, merely looking at Alex expectantly. Alex gave a slight smile, deciding to play Thomas's game. "I have conflicting emotions."

For a split second, Alex thought he saw Thomas's expression soften, but he was sure it was wistful thinking, as a second later Thomas was back to seeming deep in thought, almost unapproachable.

"Seriously, what's up with you? You've been so damn distant lately..." Alex allowed the rest of his sentence to falter, not particularly wanting to finish it. Judging by Thomas's adverse expression, he didn't want Alex to finish the sentence either. Sharply, Alex asked, "Are you regretting something? If you are, then I'm going to be so pissed."

"Relax." Thomas said, holding one hand up, but he didn't support nor deny Alex's claim.

Though part of Alex's chest churned with dread at the thought that he had caused this, he kept calm, gaining eye contact from Thomas and not looking away. "That wasn't an answer."

"What do you want me to say?" Thomas's voice was low, hostile, and Alex was thrown into internal dispute. Part of him wanted to back out - he hadn't heard Thomas sound that agitated in a long time, let alone at _him_ \- so if he returned to his office, he wouldn't risk provoking Thomas further.

However, returning meant that nothing would be solved, and he would be alone with even more questions.

"I want you to talk about it." Alex snapped. He stepped back, startled at the force behind his own voice. Softer, he continued, "I can't fix anything when you aren't talking to me. Even if it isn't solvable, then just tell me, so I can stop expecting you to talk to me again."

"I don't know what you're doing." Thomas rebuked, and finally, there was a flash of tangible emotion that Alex immediately defined as tired exasperation. Alex remained quiet, wanting to prompt Thomas to continue speaking but far too aware of the fact that if he spoke it risked Thomas abruptly becoming silent. For a moment, Alex thought that this had happened, regardless of whether Alex spoke, but then Thomas sighed. "One moment, it's like nothing has changed and we're back to arguing, and the next, it's like you actually love me."

"I don't..." Alex felt dread coil roughly against his throat. He wasn't sure what would find itself on the end of his sentence. Thomas thinned his lips, but appeared to be accepting.

"What did you want to gain from this?" Thomas asked him bluntly. He was quickly closing his expression off and Alex knew that he had to say something.

"Not this." Alex expressed. He gestured between them. "We've gotten nowhere. In fact, I'm pretty sure things have gotten worse."

"Then give me time." Thomas replied evenly. He pressed his crossed arms tighter to his chest and gave Alex an impassive look. "I think about three months or so, if you're an optimist, to get over this."

Something clicked. "Get over...?"

Thomas gave him a sharp look. "If you make me spell it out, Alexander."

"Hold the _fuck_ up." Alex instructed. "Don't leave hints, don't act as though it's obvious. Tell me, now, what the hell you mean, because I am not good at social situations and you know that."

Thomas seemed stunned. His surprise quickly turned into indignant suspicion. "If you count the fact that I _literally kissed you as a hint_ -"

"I kissed you first!" Alex interrupted.

"-then it's a goddamn miracle you've made it through adulthood." Thomas finished, giving Alex a look that stated many synonyms for the word 'idiot'. "I swear to God, you cannot-"

"You like me." Alex slowly realized, then glanced at Thomas for some sort of confirmation. Thomas merely winced, trying and failing to regain his composure. "Holy shit, you do. For the record, you have no right to act like I'm stupid after how fucking obvious I've been. Don't look surprised, you know full well I've been acting like a goddamn fool for you."

Thomas's lips twitched slightly at that.

"Seriously, Thomas, I'm _five four_ and tried to hold an _umbrella_ for you out of misguided chivalry." Alex continued, agitated at both his apparent ability to pick up and correctly define every single misplaced emotion or look that Thomas gave him. However, Thomas finally broke into a smile, bright and happy and Alex faltered, unable to maintain his frustration at just how cheerful Thomas looked.

"Well, damn." Thomas said, seeming almost dazed. "Just - _damn_. We need to make up for lost time, Alexander, and I will explain _every_ _single_ _hint_ that you missed. In great, excruciating detail."

Alex scowled, ducking his head slightly so that Thomas didn't notice his flush. After a second, Alex mused. "James is standing outside the door, listening to every word."

"He's awful." Thomas replied, but he was still grinning, which took away all of the bite from his words. With an air of exaggerated disdane, Thomas opened his office door.

Peggy had long since left, but Madison remained, looking damn near ecstatic. "Fuck yeah! Jesus, just when I thought you two wouldn't get your shit together and I'd have to give even more input - damn, I'm very glad I started the bets."

"What?" Alex immediately asked.

"What?" Madison looked more defensive than he had a right to look and Alex was going to _throttle_ him. "You honestly didn't expect it?"

"James." Thomas expressed.

"Thomas." James replied in the same voice. "You would've done the same thing."

At Thomas's unpromising silence, Alex glanced sharply at him. Thomas still hesitated, considering, before he was conceding with a sigh. "I would."

"For fuck's sake." Alex exclaimed. "You are both _terrible_ friends."

"Hey, I'm an excellent friend!" Madison immediately protested. "I got you a boyfriend and five hundred dollars. I planned this shit for _years_ , and now I'm going to have my _goddamn wheelbarrow._ "

"You did all of this for a wheelbarrow?" Alex aked, incredulous.

"Yes." Madison simply said, as though it made sense and maybe, somewhere, it did.

Thomas, however, seemed to firmly disagree, and he stated calmly, "James Madison, so help me, I will break every single bone in your body whilst making you name them."

"Even the bones in his leg?" Alex asked in mock surprise. "That's not very humerus."

"You're next." Thomas threatened, but he was poorly attempting not to smile, so Alex chose not to put too much emphasis in his words. Regardless, he doubted Thomas would be able to injure his boyfriend after such an incredible pun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a h a , plot twist Madison is the mvp here

**Author's Note:**

> alex is surprisingly less dramatic than I am because one time I ran out of money to buy food (I ran out from buying an alarming amount of food literaly two hours before) and declared that this was how I died.
> 
> Ps; these bois are 'sighing' so much they have respiratory issues.
> 
> Also - if anyone wants to see a Jamilton prompt, then just ditch it in the comments and I'll see what I can do


End file.
